by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer
Consuming the flesh of mammals sets off a life-threatening allergic reaction for some area residents. This may sound like something from of a science fiction movie, but since the “Lone Star Tick Red Meat Allergy” was first identified in 2006, reported cases have increased dramatically, especially in the southeastern United States. A Lone Star tick bite causes the allergy.
At least six people in the Sewanee community have been diagnosed with the condition, also known as the alpha-gal allergy (see related story on page 6). Eating the meat of mammals (beef, pork, lamb), and sometimes dairy products, can trigger allergic symptoms characteristic of anaphylactic shock: hives, itching, a drop in blood pressure, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, vomiting, and potentially unconsciousness and death.
Diagnosis of the allergy is complicated because the reaction happens after digestion. Rather than like a typical food allergy, which causes an immediate reaction, alpha-gal presents itself between four and six hours after ingestion. According to researchers at Vanderbilt’s Asthma, Sinus and Allergy Program, there are several cases reported to them each week.
Once the reaction has begun, quick treatment is crucial: an antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) to begin treatment, followed by epinephrine. A blood test is necessary to diagnose the allergy.
Foods triggering the allergic reaction vary from individual to individual. After she was diagnosed with the allergy, Jami Thorpe of Midway was told by her doctor to avoid only beef and lamb. After Thorpe ate a pork egg roll, she experienced her worst instance of anaphylaxis.
The adult Lone Star tick is reddish-brown and about three millimeters long. The female has a white dot on her back (see photo). Lone Star larvae, or seed ticks, which appear as small, one-millimeter black spots, can also cause the allergy.
In the past five to 10 years, Monteagle physician Dr. Chounzom Tenzing has treated at least three cases of ehrlichiosis, a flu-like bacterial infection caused by the Lone Star tick. Dr. Tenzing stresses prevention for all tick-borne diseases: covering up when in weedy and wooded areas, and removing ticks immediately using tweezers. “Risk of infection is low if a tick is removed in the first 24 hours,” Tenzing says. Treating clothing with Permethrin can kill ticks, and the product DEET repels them.
The length of time between the tick bite and the onset of the allergy varies. The redness and itching from the Lone Star tick Jami Thorpe extracted lasted for weeks but eventually healed. Less than three months later, she developed severe diarrhea after eating meat. Unaware what was causing the reaction, she nursed herself with vegetable beef soup, causing her symptoms to get progressively worse and landing her in the hospital.
People experiencing symptoms typical of anaphylactic shock should call 911 or have someone take them to an emergency room immediately. In less than an hour, symptoms can progress from hives to swelling of the tongue, lips, and throat and the inability to breathe. Without treatment, death is a very real possibility.
Vanderbilt Medical Center sees one or more new cases of the alpha-gal allergy each week. The number of cases in the Southeast is believed to be in the thousands, but the exact number of cases is unknown since physicians are not required to report the malady. No one with the allergy is known to have died from an allergic reaction to meat, but several patients died as a result of an allergic reaction to a cancer drug containing alpha-gal.
Some researchers believe alpha-gal sufferers may eventually stop having an allergic reaction, but many people with the allergy are skeptical. A Facebook group of more than 750 alpha-gal allergy sufferers has no reports of anyone whose allergy went away. Until a cure is found, avoidance is the only solution for people who have the allergy, and staying tick-free is the safest solution.
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