Finding Treatments for Tick-Related Red Meat Allergy

Ticks cause hundreds of thousands of new illnesses each year in the U.S. Most of these illnesses are from ticks spreading disease-causing germs. But tick bites can also lead to an allergy to red meat and other products from animals like cows, pigs, and lambs. This condition is called alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). A new study may point to a way to help prevent these allergic reactions.

Some ticks carry a sugar molecule called alpha-gal in their saliva. Your body can develop an allergy to it. Alpha-gal is also found in red meat and other products from these same animals. After you develop an allergy, eating foods that contain alpha-gal can cause a reaction, too.

Symptoms vary from stomach and intestinal problems to life-threatening reactions. Right now, there are no treatments specifically for alpha-gal syndrome, only treatments for allergic reactions. The only way to avoid the allergic response is to avoid tick bites and to not eat animal products that cause a reaction.

Researchers searched for antibodies that could attach to molecules involved in the allergic response and potentially stop it. Antibodies are molecules the body normally makes to help get rid of invaders.

Using lab tests, the team found 13 antibodies that targeted different molecules linked to the allergic responses. But more research is needed to test if they can prevent them.

“This discovery … is the first step in potentially identifying ways to prevent AGS and develop new targeted therapies for people before they are affected by this disabling condition,” says Dr. John Powers, acting director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.