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Life-threatening meat allergy caused by tick bites is on the rise. Here’s what you should know
Action News 5 • • health
Key Points:
- Alpha-gal syndrome is a life-threatening allergy to meat triggered by tick bites, caused by an immune response to a sugar called alpha-gal found in mammalian meat and tick saliva, leading to symptoms like hives, digestive issues, and swelling after meat or dairy consumption.
- The condition has been increasingly diagnosed due to greater awareness and the expanding range of the lone star tick, the primary carrier, with an estimated 450,000 Americans affected.
- Diagnosis relies on blood tests detecting alpha-gal antibodies combined with symptom evaluation, as tests alone can yield false positives.
- Patients are advised to avoid mammalian meats such as beef, pork, and lamb, with some needing to avoid dairy and animal byproducts; meat from genetically modified "GalSafe" pigs without alpha-gal is a rare exception.
- The FDA recently approved Xolair, an injectable drug that reduces severe allergic reactions but does not cure the syndrome, and researchers are exploring additional biologic treatments to manage the condition.
