Meat allergy caused by ticks becoming more common, CDC says

Meat allergy ticks overview: 

• Who: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says more Americans are developing a tickborne allergic condition known as alpha-gal syndrome. 
• Why: The CDC is attributing the increase in alpha-gal syndrome to a higher number of Americans coming in contact with the lone star tick, which is expanding its range across the country and known to cause alpha-gal syndrome. 
• Where: Nationwide.

A growing number of Americans are becoming allergic to red meat, and the condition is being attributed to an allergic condition carried by ticks known as alpha-gal syndrome, red meat allergy or tick bite meat allergy.

Alpha-gal syndrome is a potentially life-threatening allergic condition that can present itself after an individual is exposed to a product containing alpha-gal, a sugar molecule that can be found in most mammals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The condition, also known as red meat allergy or tick bite meat allergy, occurs after an individual consumes red meat with alpha-gal following having been bitten by a tick with alpha-gal in its spit, causing the individual to develop alpha-gal syndrome. 

Evidence suggests alpha-gal syndrome is most commonly associated with the bite of a lone star tick in the U.S., according to the CDC, which clarifies that bites from other kinds of ticks have not been ruled out as causing the allergy. 

Number of Americans testing positive for alpha-gal syndrome on the rise, government report says 

A government report released last week revealed the number of people testing positive for tick bite meat allergy rose from around 13,000 in 2017 to 19,000 in 2022, according to The Associated Press. 

Experts reportedly say the increase in alpha-gal syndrome can be partly attributed to lone star ticks expanding their range across the country, leading to more Americans coming into contact with them. 

Many doctors are still not testing for the syndrome, however, according to a second study, which found nearly half of 1,500 surveyed primary care doctors and health care professionals in the U.S. had never heard of the condition, the AP reports. 

Researchers reportedly used the information found in the study to estimate a total of 450,000 Americans may have the syndrome. 

Individuals with alpha-gal syndrome may experience symptoms including, hives, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, severe stomach pain and difficulty breathing, among other things, according to the CDC. 

In order to avoid contracting the syndrome from a tick bite, the CDC recommends walking in the center of trails, avoiding grassy, brushy and wooded areas where ticks might be, and to check clothing for ticks after coming back indoors, among other things. 

Do you believe you may have contracted alpha-gal syndrome after suffering a tick bite? Let us know in the comments.

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