Ticks that can make you allergic to red meat are spreading

As if there weren’t enough reasons to avoid ticks, a symptom can develop in which a bite from a certain kind of tick causes an allergic reaction to red meat.

A bite from the lone star tick, which range across the eastern half of the United States, can cause severe symptoms to develop after eating mammalian meat such as pork, beef and lamb. Symptom include hives, shortness of breath and can lead to an anaphylactic reaction. A bite can even be fatal, according to Ronald Saff, an allergist from Tallahassee, Fla.

Saff said the ticks are spreading, and global warming is contributing. Once confined to Eastern and Southeast states, including Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, they are spreading northward and westward.

“They like nice warm environments,” he said. “As the U.S. gets warmer, we anticipate that the tick will migrate to other states.”

Once inflicted with the condition, an allergic reaction can develop after just a single bite of meat.

The odd thing about the reaction, Saff said, is that it doesn’t develop until several hours after consuming meat. That can leave those who experience symptoms at a loss for what is causing them.

The condition was discovered about a decade ago and is slowly circulating through the medical world.

“This is relatively new,” Saff said. “If you pick up a medical textbook … you won’t find anything on (this allergy).”

The relative newness of the condition means it is still unknown if the allergy can remain in someone’s system for life.

Ginger Brown, who lives outside Wichita, Kan., contracted the allergy after a bite from the lone star tick, according to The Wichita Eagle. Before being diagnosed, she had experienced mild symptoms after eating meat.

“It’s not a tragedy, but it’s an annoyance,” she said. “There are worse things that could have happened to me.”

The alpha-gal allergy, as the red meat allergy is known, is actually caused by a sugar molecule found in meat — galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention writes the lone star tick is “very aggressive.” The female is distinguished by a white dot or “lone star” for which the species is named.