There are some rural communities in Cape Province with a very high prevalence of red meat allergy. In South Africa, an investigation into this issue is under way. It is important to remember that not all allergy to red meat is caused by tick bites, but if you have been bitten by ticks and later find you can no longer tolerate red meat, the bites may have been the cause. They concluded: “The results presented here provide evidence that tick bites are a cause, or possibly the only cause, of IgE specific for alpha-gal in this area of the United States.” The researchers also found evidence that these IgE antibodies are common in areas where the tick Amblyomma americanum is prevalent. Studies on allergic antibodies (known as IgE) in three people following tick bites showed an increase in IgE to alpha-gal of 20-fold or greater. Subsequently the researchers went on to investigate possible causes of this allergic response, focusing on evidence related to tick bites, which are common in the region of the USA where these reactions commonly occur. Most of these people had tolerated meat for many years previously. They found this to be related to antibodies to alpha-gal. It was back in 2009 that researchers in Virginia reported a novel form of delayed anaphylaxis to red meat eaten 3-5 hours previously. This protein can be found in the meat of animals, so when the person affected eats meat a reaction occurs. The theory is that when the person is bitten, the tick triggers the production of an antibody to a protein known as galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (abbreviated as alpha-gal).

The often-encountered allergic reaction of. If you are one of those affected, our key advice is to seek medical advice, initially through your GP, who is likely to refer you to an allergy clinic for expert guidance. alpha-gal allergy alpha-gal syndrome anaphylaxis galactose-1,3-alpha-galactose meat allergy.

This article is written for anyone who believes this may be a problem for them. A few cases have been reported in the UK. As the onset of symptoms in this syndrome is usually delayed, numerous cases may be identified as idiopathic anaphylaxis, while early diagnosis is indispensable to avoid potentially life-threatening complications.This problem is also believed to be an issue in South Africa. The level of specific IgE antibodies to alpha-gal reached 72.6 kAU/l, whereas the levels of specific IgE antibodies to other food allergens were within the reference range. They developed a few hours after ingestion of red meat (pork, beef or mutton) and were preceded by tick bites. Within three months, the described patient underwent five anaphylactic reactions with typical clinical manifestations. In the current report, we describe a case of alpha-gal syndrome diagnosed in Poland, to highlight the fact that it may occur in new geographic areas. Although cases of alpha-gal allergy have already been reported in a few European countries, to our best knowledge, no cases have been reported so far in Central-Eastern Europe.

The syndrome is causally linked to bites from ticks and associated with cross-reactivity to some drugs, e.g. Alpha-gal syndrome is an immunoglobulin E (IgE)-dependent allergy to galactose--1,3-galactose, resulting in a delayed anaphylactic reaction to red meat.

Alpha gal allergy