Has anyone hear of this?
http://www.click2houston.com/news/lone- ... t/27381744
Lone Star Tick Can make you allergic to meat
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Lone Star Tick Can make you allergic to meat
Donna
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Hi Donna,
Yes, this topic came up a couple of years ago, and also a couple of times since then. It's a sensitivity (actually an allergy) to a specific carbohydrate found in meat from all mammals, except meat from monkeys, the great apes, and humans. It's still a rather rare condition, known as Mammalian Meat Allergy, and the symptoms are delayed allergic reactions, severe hives, delayed anaphylaxis, and severe GI symptoms. But it is becoming more common by the day, so it may eventually become a formidable problem. It typically makes people sick several hours after eating the meat (rather than immediately, as is the case with most allergies). What's really unusual is the fact that the allergic reaction is caused by a sugar (carb), rather than by a protein. Virtually all other allergic reactions are caused by proteins.
Tick Bites and Meat Allergies
Note that chicken, turkey, fish, etc., do not contain the carb, so they can be safely eaten by someone who has mammalian meat allergy. The lone star tick can be found all across the South in the U. S., and probably many locations farther north.
0But they aren't the only vectors for this allergy, because the problem is spreading in many parts of Europe, apparently because of Ixodes ricinus, the castor bean tick (aka sheep tick). Note that the thread I referenced above, was posted by a member from the UK, over 2 years ago.
Red meat allergy in Sweden: Association with tick sensitization and B-negative blood groups
Thanks for the link.
Tex
Yes, this topic came up a couple of years ago, and also a couple of times since then. It's a sensitivity (actually an allergy) to a specific carbohydrate found in meat from all mammals, except meat from monkeys, the great apes, and humans. It's still a rather rare condition, known as Mammalian Meat Allergy, and the symptoms are delayed allergic reactions, severe hives, delayed anaphylaxis, and severe GI symptoms. But it is becoming more common by the day, so it may eventually become a formidable problem. It typically makes people sick several hours after eating the meat (rather than immediately, as is the case with most allergies). What's really unusual is the fact that the allergic reaction is caused by a sugar (carb), rather than by a protein. Virtually all other allergic reactions are caused by proteins.
Tick Bites and Meat Allergies
Note that chicken, turkey, fish, etc., do not contain the carb, so they can be safely eaten by someone who has mammalian meat allergy. The lone star tick can be found all across the South in the U. S., and probably many locations farther north.
0But they aren't the only vectors for this allergy, because the problem is spreading in many parts of Europe, apparently because of Ixodes ricinus, the castor bean tick (aka sheep tick). Note that the thread I referenced above, was posted by a member from the UK, over 2 years ago.
Red meat allergy in Sweden: Association with tick sensitization and B-negative blood groups
Thanks for the link.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Theresa,
When the imported fire ants swept across this part of the country (about 30–40 years ago), they virtually eradicated all the ticks here in Central Texas (almost everything has a silver lining, if we look for it), but now that the fire ants are beginning to lose dominance here, the ticks seem to be coming back (along with bobwhite quail, and a few other species that had almost disappeared, that the state biologists still insist were not affected by the fire ants
).
We will just have to remain vigilant for tick bites, because they've been a serious problem for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, they keep adding obnoxious new issues to the list of problems that they can cause.
Tex
When the imported fire ants swept across this part of the country (about 30–40 years ago), they virtually eradicated all the ticks here in Central Texas (almost everything has a silver lining, if we look for it), but now that the fire ants are beginning to lose dominance here, the ticks seem to be coming back (along with bobwhite quail, and a few other species that had almost disappeared, that the state biologists still insist were not affected by the fire ants
).We will just have to remain vigilant for tick bites, because they've been a serious problem for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, they keep adding obnoxious new issues to the list of problems that they can cause.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Donna,
Prior to the appearance of this allergy I would have said that it would be impossible to react to a carbohydrate, since all previously known allergies were directed against proteins. But obviously this changes the rules. So theoretically at least, it certainly appears that it may well be possible to react to other carbs, if they are introduced to our immune system by the same means.
The reason why the allergy exists is because these ticks contain a unique carbohydrate, galactose-αlpha-1,3-galactose (aka, alpha-Gal), and when they bite someone, they typically transfer some of the carb into the wound. Since the substance is obviously associated with the tick bite, the adaptive immune system perceives it as a pathogenic threat, and begins to produce antibodies against it (mistakenly interpreting the carb to be some type of toxin from the tick). Unfortunately, alpha-Gal is found in the flesh of all mammals (except for primates), so whenever someone whose immune system has been reprogrammed to recognize alpha-Gal as a threat, eats any mammal meat, they have an allergic reaction.
The reason why this "inoculation" is so effective is because this is exactly how vaccines work. They expose the immune system to a perceived threat, and this promotes the production of antibodies against the threat, by the adaptive immune system. Many vaccinations eventually lose their effectiveness over time, because if no reactions are triggered for many years, the production of antibodies eventually totally ceases, and the immune system eventually "forgets" about the issue and no longer recognizes it as a threat. That's why "booster" shots are necessary, in order to regenerate the genetic expressions necessary to promote the production of antibodies against a particular antigen. It's currently unknown if that will ever happen with this allergy, since it's way too soon to tell. And of course, any exposure to mammal meat will serve as a "booster" shot to help keep the allergy viable.
Tex
Prior to the appearance of this allergy I would have said that it would be impossible to react to a carbohydrate, since all previously known allergies were directed against proteins. But obviously this changes the rules. So theoretically at least, it certainly appears that it may well be possible to react to other carbs, if they are introduced to our immune system by the same means.
The reason why the allergy exists is because these ticks contain a unique carbohydrate, galactose-αlpha-1,3-galactose (aka, alpha-Gal), and when they bite someone, they typically transfer some of the carb into the wound. Since the substance is obviously associated with the tick bite, the adaptive immune system perceives it as a pathogenic threat, and begins to produce antibodies against it (mistakenly interpreting the carb to be some type of toxin from the tick). Unfortunately, alpha-Gal is found in the flesh of all mammals (except for primates), so whenever someone whose immune system has been reprogrammed to recognize alpha-Gal as a threat, eats any mammal meat, they have an allergic reaction.
The reason why this "inoculation" is so effective is because this is exactly how vaccines work. They expose the immune system to a perceived threat, and this promotes the production of antibodies against the threat, by the adaptive immune system. Many vaccinations eventually lose their effectiveness over time, because if no reactions are triggered for many years, the production of antibodies eventually totally ceases, and the immune system eventually "forgets" about the issue and no longer recognizes it as a threat. That's why "booster" shots are necessary, in order to regenerate the genetic expressions necessary to promote the production of antibodies against a particular antigen. It's currently unknown if that will ever happen with this allergy, since it's way too soon to tell. And of course, any exposure to mammal meat will serve as a "booster" shot to help keep the allergy viable.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.