Meat allergy caused by tick bite

Galactose alpha 1,3 from serum.

Allergy screening for alpha gal if infected by a tick and then unable to tolerate meat.

New in the Netherlands

After Lyme disease, the Dutch tick also appears to be the spreader of alpha-gal syndrome, a condition in which people develop a meat allergy. Tick experts knew about the ailment from America, but did not know that European ticks can cause the same allergy. You can get swelling or hives, but the allergic reaction can also be life-threatening.

Symptoms

A bite from a tick can cause a delayed allergic reaction to red meat.
Some people bitten by a tick wake up three to six hours after eating red meat from hives or a very severe allergic reaction.
The characteristics of alpha gall syndrome are:

• itching,
• urticaria (hives)
• respiratory complaints
• gastrointestinal complaints
• anaphylactic shock

And usually occur 2-6 hours after eating mammalian meat.

How does meat allergy occur?
Alpha bile is present in meat. When a person bitten by a tick eats meat, the immune system causes histamine to be released in response to the carbohydrate. This then causes the symptoms to occur. Anaphylactic shock due to meat is a severe food allergy. Normally a shock occurs immediately, in this case it is delayed. Therein lies the danger.

Previous research has shown that the Lone Star tick in particular leads to a meat allergy. Lone Star ticks are aggressive females that can be recognized by a white spot or star in the middle of their back.
Now it appears that ticks in the Netherlands can also cause this allergy.

The allergic reaction occurs because the saliva of the biting tick contains the foreign body substance alpha-gal. The small animal has previously acquired this when biting another mammal. Through the bite, transmission to humans takes place. The immune system of humans can respond by making antibodies against this foreign substance, which does occur naturally in mammals. If someone then eats meat, an allergic reaction can occur. Alpha gal stands for galactose-α-1,3-galactose, a carbohydrate present in the cell membranes of mammals. The immune system can respond by producing IgE antibodies.

Not all tick species provoke alpha-gal syndrome. The only tick species in the Netherlands that can induce sIgE antibodies against alpha-gal is the sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus).

This only involves meat from cattle, pigs, sheep and horses. White meat, from chickens and other poultry does not cause problems.

For scientific support, see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3639458/