Sugar in the saliva
The problem is caused by the sugar alpha-gal (galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose), which is found in meat (and dairy products). The sugar has also been found in the tick’s saliva Amblyomma americanum.
And the bite of this tick is said to be the cause of the mysterious meat allergy that affects approximately 450,000 Americans.
“We suspect that this type of tick has an enzyme in its saliva that can produce alpha-gal,” said Scott Commins, who studies allergy and immunology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in the US.
Life-threatening symptoms
When the tick bites someone, alpha-gal penetrates the skin, putting the skin’s defense mechanisms on edge. If the person then eats meat, which also contains alpha-gal, a severe allergic reaction follows.
But unlike most other food allergies, which usually trigger an allergic reaction within seconds or minutes of ingesting the allergenic food, alpha-gal allergy takes four to six hours to manifest.
The symptoms include hives, shortness of breath, and a potentially life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
Relatively unknown to doctors
Worryingly, this allergy is relatively unknown among healthcare professionals in the US. From one research of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 42 percent of the 1,500 doctors and nurses surveyed had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, and 35 percent were unsure if they would be able to diagnose the condition or make sure the patient received appropriate treatment.
Until recently, it was unknown how many Americans have the syndrome, but CDC epidemiologists have analyzed test results from one of the major alpha-gal testing laboratories in the US. Of the nearly 300,000 tests conducted between 2017 and 2022, some 90,000 were positive.
Taking into account the results of previous studies, the researchers estimate there were 110,000 cases in the US between 2010 and 2022.
In the top 10 food allergies
Since many doctors and nurses are unaware of the problem, the researchers believe that 20 to 78 percent of cases have gone under the radar and thus gone undiagnosed. That means there have been between 96,000 and 450,000 Americans with alpha-gal syndrome since 2010.
“If our estimate of about 450,000 cases is even remotely accurate, we have the ninth most common food allergy in the country,” Commins says.
According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the world’s most important centers for medical research, Amblyomma americanum lives mainly in the southeastern United States, and most cases of alpha-gal syndrome also occur in the south, east or central part of the country. However, the syndrome has also been observed in other parts of the world, such as Europe, Australia, Asia, South Africa, and South and Central America.
2023-08-05 11:02:11
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