Tick and Alpha-Gal Syndrome Responsible for Meat Allergy

7 months ago

If there is one thing I avoid from my, dog's body like a plague, it is tick but as much as I try to keep my dogs clean from this blood sucking insect, I ensure they do not have a taste of my blood in anyway because these blood sucking insects bite bearing gifts.

Ticks carry different diseases from lyme disease to rocky mountain spotted fever, ticks are known to infect humans with a plethora of diseases and there is one tick that is responsible for a disease that would prevent a person from eating red meat ever in their life after ts bite. This means you would be allergic to red meat but then you might want to say that you have heard of a shellfish allergy, peanut allergy, and pollen allergy but you might have not heard of meat allergy but it is kind off common.

An American woman Annia Contreras was bitten by a tick but didn't take it seriously, but soon she began to notice that her feet and hands began to itch, soon she started to have hives, headaches, exhaustion, and headaches. She went to her medical practitioner who decided to use the elimination method to identify if was caused by an allergic substance, so they tried different allergens but she didn't react to any of them. Steroids and Allergy medications also didn't do any wonders but she continued with her daily life but one day, she realized from the news that she might be suffering from Alpha-gal syndrome and when she went to the hospital, she was tested positive.

This led her to leaving a vegan lifestyle all through her life. You might want to know that the signs for Alpha-Gal syndrome is the same as any other allergy and it includes headache, gastrointestinal issues, headaches, and runny nose. In severe cases one can have swollen lips,face, and even anaphylaxis as a result of the swelling of the throat and tongue. While other allergic reactions occur within a few minutes, alpha-gal allergies occur hours after contact, and this is one reason it is difficult to identify and diagnose.

The allergy associated to the disease is an allergy to a type of carbohydrate known as Galactose-Alpha-1,3-Galatose (Alpha-Gal) that exists in mammalian cells but is not present in Apes, Humans, and our closest relatives. This allergy can be triggered by Mammal tissue, diary, carrageenan, gelatin, and in very severe cases fumes from meals that contains the carbohydrate.

Normally, humans do not synthensize Alpha-gal and when we consume, we have adequate immune response for it but when the tick bites a person, it transfer the carbohydrate from its saliva into the human body and this causes our immune system to tag them as foreign and begin to attack them. With this, the body's immune system stores a memory of the carbohydrate as a toxin thereby leading to a reaction next time the carbohydrate finds its way into the body.

Let me say this square and clear that allergies are actually not toxic or bad to us, our body just reads them wrongly. Because you were beaten by a tick doesn't mean you carry Alpha Gal Syndrome as there is a certain species responsible for this disease and these ticks are the Lone Star Tick from the United State, Castor Bean Tick form Europe, the Australian Paralysis tick from Australia and very few species around the world.

Ticks can transmit a range of serious diseases, and Alpha-Gal Syndrome is a particularly challenging condition that can drastically alter a person's lifestyle. Awareness and prevention are key, as not every tick bite will lead to this syndrome, but those from certain species can. Understanding the symptoms and seeking prompt medical attention can help manage and mitigate the effects of this unusual allergy. As always, prevention is the best approach: regular tick checks and protective measures can significantly reduce the risk of tick-borne illnesses.