Do you have red meat allergy ? Do you know why that’s happened? One of the reason is because of ticks. Before reading more about the ticks spread red meat allergy, let’s learn what ticks exactly.
What is Ticks
Ticks are tiny creatures called parasites. It can be a plant or an animal which feeds on a host(another plant or animal). Ticks are parasites which feed on the blood of lots of types of animals and sometimes people. It don’t have wings to fly and cannot jump. The travel by walking on the ground and up plants, or are transported by birds and animals. Then they wait for a host to pass by and drop onto it or hook onto it with special hooks on their legs. (TickBitePreventionweek.org )
Back to the topics as ticks spread red meat allergy. Some researchers say that bites from the voracious lone star tick are making some people allergic to red meat even if they’re never had a problem eating it before.
The allergic reactions from vomiting and abdominal cramps to hives to anaphylaxis. It can lead to breathing difficulties and sometimes even death. Unlike the others food allergies, the symptoms typially set in three to six hours after an affeted person eats red meat often in the middle of the night.
The bite that seems to precipitate it may occur weeks or months before often making it difficult for people to make the link.
Ticks Spread Red Meat Allergy Cases
U.S cases of the ticks spread red meat allergy were first identified at the University of Virgina at Charlottesville in 2007 and now being reported as far north as Nantucket, Mass and on the east end of New York’s Long Island.
U.Va. allergy specialist, Thomas Platts discovered the ticks spread red meat allergy while investigating why some cancer patients had severe allergic reactions to the drug cetuximab in 2006. In the blood tests, it revealed they had pre-existing antibodies to a certain sugar commonly known as alpha-gal which is present in the drug and found naturally in mammalian meat.
Curiously only the cancer patients from the southeastern ‘tick belt’ states had the allergic reaction. Researcher found that some had reported having allergic reactions hours after eating beef, lamb or pork.
The researchers began routinely asking all their allergy patients about tick exposure.
The evidence of ticks spread red meat allergy connection is mounting. In a study in the journal Pediatrics last month, the U.Va researched describe 45 children with similar symptoms. From the research some patients react strongly to pork sausage or lambu but can eat lean roast beef without having symptoms.
The good news is that the allergic reaction seems to fade after a few years in some sufferers if they avoid additional tick bites.
Source :- The Wall Street Journal