Ticks Can Cause Red Meat Allergy

Thanks to an incident that happened to a 56-year-old farmer living in Kansas City, Missouri, USA 7 years ago, people were allergy to red meat turned out to be possible.

Noticing rashes on his waist and arms hours after eating a hamburger, the unfortunate man did not at first understand why; after all, the allergy in question alpha-gal syndromenu (AGS) symptoms are not easy to distinguish from a simple tick bite. The hives and rashes did not appear each time a meat-containing meal was eaten, or they could occur several times in a week and were rarely even accompanied by shortness of breath. The man, who has a very complex disease history due to seasonal allergies and HIV, which he contracted at the age of 21, had not been able to be definitively identified, although he had seen many doctors for his symptoms for years. Until now.

About 3 percent of people living in parts of the United States show symptoms of AGS

Many solutions were offered to the man who had to go to the doctor for years because of his complaints. He changed the detergent with which he washed his clothes and bought new clothes; but these measures did not work. The possibility of a food allergy was removed from the list at the very beginning of the doctor’s visits; because unlike what happens to a man, when you are allergic to a food, your symptoms are not hours after eating the food. minutes you show in On the other hand, what happened to this man is not unheard of before. About 3 percent of the population in parts of the United States is reported to have symptoms of the type associated with AGS; however, less is known about its prevalence. Undoubtedly, for a disease that stretches throughout human history, researchers only for the last 20 years doing detailed research.

In 2002, allergy researcher Thomas Platts-Mills, who noted allergic reactions in cancer patients treated with the cancer drug cetuximab, encountered people who claimed to have had an allergic reaction to certain meats and meat products; however, at that time he had not been able to establish any connection between the two. With the passing years, the cases of serious cetuximab reactions continued to increase in the USA. Finally, in 2008, Platts-Mills discovered that the root cause of the problem is a carbohydrate called galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose. IgE antibody response, i.e., briefly identified that he had alpha-gal syndrome. alpha-gal, a sugar found in a wide variety of animals, though not found in humans; was somehow transferred from transgenic mice used to obtain chemotherapy treatment. When we think that allergies are usually caused by the body reacting to a protein that it does not recognize, it can trigger an allergic response. with a carbohydrate It was quite unusual to meet.

Even if this mystery has been solved, how patients develop this sensitivity has not been resolved in the first place; however, there were several speculations as to why this might happen. One of these claims was a pattern of cases that suspiciously overlapped with cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a disease carried by the American tick (Amblyomma americanum). The second is after eating beef. severe allergic reactions It was a chance encounter with a hunter who showed Already a suspect, Platts-Mills asked the man about tick bites, and with the answer he received, he slowly began to understand the inside of the case. However, what ultimately convinced the researcher was his personal experience with the disease. Reluctantly trying to test her suspicions, Platts-Mills went for a hike in the mountains near her home and was bitten by a tick herself. Later that year, lamb chops at Platts-Mills, very familiar caused an allergic reaction.

More research is needed to better understand AGS

Today, scientists have discovered what makes people sensitive to carbohydrates found in meats like lamb and beef. to proteins in tick saliva They’re pretty sure it’s the alpha-gal sticking up. Because cooking fails to destroy it, our body overreacts when alpha-gal enters our body. If we come to the farmer whose case was announced a short time ago; After a long search, he finally found doctors who understood what the situation was. Seven years after symptoms first appeared, a friend told him about AGS. Thereupon, the patient, by nature, is a pervasive danger to his job. link with ticks It set up pretty quickly. Following this, the farmer who removed red meat from his diet did not show any allergic reactions due to alpha-gala for 8 years.

On the other hand, according to research a new disease We seem to have a lot to learn about the prevalence of AGS and its interactions with other diseases and treatments, such as potential reactions to drugs and their components.