CDC Warns about Meat Allergies Caused by Tick Bites

One bite could cause a bizarre and sometimes dangerous allergy to meat, known as Alpha-gal Syndrome. Here's what to know...

The CDC recently warns about the lone star tick.  One bite could cause a bizarre and sometimes dangerous allergy to meat.  The tick-bite-associated allergic condition is known as Alpha-gal Syndrome.  They think it happens a few weeks or months after getting a tick bite people start having allergic reactions when they consume red meat or other products like dairy, gelatin, and even some medications that contain the alpha-gal sugar.   Alpha-gal is a sugar that is in most mammalian meat.   Symptoms range from diarrhea to hives to anaphylactic shock.   There is no treatment, and many patients are forced to radically alter their diet for years—or for life.  It’s not something doctors see everyday but more than 110,000 have tested positive for it since 2010.  The CDC says the numbers have been going up.   Many use sprays with DEET to deter tick bites.  Doing a self check of yourself and others after being outdoors in high grass is also recommended.