Anaphylaxis and Meat Allergies: A Tick-Borne Illness That Could Change the Way You Eat

Do you remember when we first explained how a tick bite can make you become allergic to red meat? It’s true! A bite from a lone star tick, one of the most prevalent ticks in Kentucky, can actually cause a lifelong meat allergy. And what makes it so difficult is that reactions aren’t immediate and they aren’t always the same. It can be as simple as hives, headache or sneezing or as serious as anaphylaxis which is difficulty breathing.

Study Shows Rise in Anaphylaxis Percentage Due to Tick Bites

A new study published by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology detailed all the causes of anaphylaxis at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and 33% of those were from the alpha-gal meat allergy, caused by the bite of a lone star tick bite. Other food allergies came in second at almost 10% below reactions caused by the alpha-gal allergy, which really highlights how big this is. This is a huge rise in recognition of what is causing anaphylactic reactions since this same study was done last in 2006. Knowing that ticks can cause the allergy and that lone star ticks have a large presence in the area is a great contributing factor here.

Protect Yourself: It’s For More Than the Sake of Your Favorite Meal

The alpha-gal allergy is a complex one. It is different from other food allergies for a couple of reasons. First, it doesn’t happen immediately like most food allergies. Your reaction could come several hours after the meal that caused it, making it hard to be sure what actually did. And as we said it the beginning, it can be different each time. Therefore you really can’t know ahead of time if this meat allergy is going to keep you from breathing. Last time maybe you just itched for a while and decided “Well hey… a really good filet is worth it!”Not breathing, however, is not worth it!

For the sake of today’s discussion let’s assume you don’t have the alpha-gal allergy… yet. Now is the time to prevent it. How do you prevent it? Don’t get bitten by a lone star tick. There’s no better way to avoid tick-borne illnesses than to avoid the ticks. Mosquito Squad of Louisville wants to help you do just that. Our tick control services eliminate 85-90% of ticks in your yard and come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Those are numbers to get behind. Call us today!