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- Incompatibility with red meat
- How can I tell if I have a meat allergy?
- How can a tick bite trigger a meat allergy?
- Earlier in America, today in Europe
Incompatibility with red meat
Tick bites do not hurt, but they can transmit Lyme disease, FSME and trigger a meat allergy. How a tick makes you allergic to meat.
In the past, we walked barefoot across meadows, spending hours in the shade of trees - without fear. But for some years, the tick is considered the number one enemy in the summer. A tick bite is not painful, but the arachnids can transmit the dangerous infectious diseases Lyme disease and TBE ( tick -borne encephalitis). And trigger a meat allergy. A meat allergy? That's the result of a study published in 2010 in the US Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
How can I tell if I have a meat allergy?
Researchers from the American Association of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology investigated 300 cases worldwide where people were suddenly allergic to red meat. An Australian study also supports the studies of American colleagues. They point out that meat allergy is the only carbohydrate allergy that can lead to skin rashes and, in the worst case, to organ and circulatory failure. Basically, the immune reactions that occur are comparable to the characteristics of a peanut allergy - that is, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty in breathing and drop in blood pressure.
How can a tick bite trigger a meat allergy?
The reason for this unusual intolerance is a very specific type of sugar that ticks possess - but not humans. This so-called alpha-gel lactose occurs not only in ticks, but also in red meat and dairy products. With every bite of the tick, some of this sugar gets into the human bloodstream, and the organism can then produce antibodies. These in turn trigger allergic reactions on renewed contact, for example after a piece of meat.
Formerly in America, today in Europe
Not every tick triggers a meat allergy. So far, the so-called Lone Star tick was mainly in the east and southeast of the US at home. Today she is also represented in other parts of the world. Experts also believe that there are certain types of ticks in Australia, France, Sweden and Germany, which can also trigger a meat allergy.
