Until recently, scientists thought that rare and deadly sensitivity was transferred by only one type of tick in the United States – the only star sign (Amblyomma Americanum). However, new reports on allergies, called alpha Gall syndrome, showed that the most prevalent tick of black legs (Ixodes) The disease can also be transferred.
While the only signs of stars are found mainly in the southern and eastern United States, black -legged ticks (Ixodes SCAPULARIS), Which are also called signs of deer, present in the eastern half of the United States and the Middle West and the Western Black Mark (Ixodes Pacific Ocean) The West Coast is inhabited, according to May clinic.
The new case reports indicate that people in a wide range of the United States are at risk of alpha -Gal syndrome. However, “the evidence continues to support this in the United States, most alpha -Gall syndrome patients develop allergies after they are exposed to a single star mark,” ” Dr. Johanna SalzerA veterinarian and epidemic specialist in the Department of Disease Control and Prevention Centers (CDC) said for diseases transmitted by vectors and a co -author of both status reporters, in an email.
Given that a variety of ticks have been linked to alpha -Gal syndrome outside the United States, scientists have long suspected that black -legged ticks in the United States are also sensitive.
“For us, it was not just the only star sign,” Jennifer PlattThe co -founder of the non -profit circumstances transmitted by the tick and a member of an assistant faculty at North Carolina University in Chapel Hill, In a blog post. With thousands of Lyme [a tick-borne disease] She noted that patients who tell us that they could not bear red meat have long been suspected of black -legged ticks and other ticks in the United States.
“Although our publications are some of the first reports that link the black ticks in the United States to Alpha Gal syndrome, bites of these species in the United States lead to Alpha Gaal syndrome have certainly occurred before these reports,” Salzer said.
In Alpha Gal syndrome, the immune system screams with sugar known as Galactose-α-1,3-Galactose, or “Alpha-Age” for a short period. The affected people can develop severe allergic reactions not only on red meat but also for some drugs, personal care products and medical treatments that contain components of mammal tissue, where this sugar is found.
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the The first caseThe reported in the April 4 issue of Medc Journal, which arises from infectious diseases, described a woman from Maine, who had alpha -Gall syndrome after a confirmed mark with black legs (I am SCAPULARIS)
A 45 -year -old woman suffered from inflammation and itching at the site of the sting, followed by abdominal pain and a feeling of distress after nine days, after eating the rabbit. During the next two weeks, I continued to have problems in the digestive system after consuming red meat. A severe episode of diarrhea and vomiting pushed her hours after she ate cow meat to visit the health care provider 20 days after the tick bite. Blood tests have revealed very high levels of Alpha-Gal immunoglobulin (IGE), which confirms Alpha Gal syndrome. And the solution to her after 10 months.
the The second case From Alpha Gall syndrome, which was reported in the same magazine, included a 61 -year -old wildlife world in Washington. After a confirmed bite of the western tick with black legs (I am the Pacific Ocean)She faced a rash and swelling of the lip, followed by a severe allergic reaction after 29 days, after she ate red meat, and requires the treatment of emergency epipen. After diagnosing her alpha -Gal syndrome, she avoided meat and had no other reactions. A few years later, I got two others I am the Pacific Ocean Tick bites, which led to an increase in Alpha-Gal Ige antibodies.
So far, why can tick bites lead to a well -incomprehensible alpha -Gal syndrome. “We only started going into the science of these diseases and other diseases that are transmitted by ticks-there is a lot that we do not know,” said Platt.
research It has shown that some ticks produce alpha-Gall-proteins antigens that lead to an immune response-and these antigens are excreted in their saliva during feeding. This may lead to alpha sensitivity in humans. “The ticks do not pick up [alpha-gal antigens] From animals and then transferred to humans, “Platt confirmed.
“More studies are needed to discover details about how the tick bite restores the alpha -gif syndrome in some people, and why it seems that the bites of Lone Star cause most of the human cases in the United States in exchange for Blacklegged, Western BlackleGged and other ticks,” Salzer said.
Prevention of ticks is the best way to protect from alpha -Gal syndrome and other diseases transmitted by ticks, such as Lyme disease and Boasan virus. “When you expect to be in the areas where the ticks may live, use the recorded insect repellent and wear treated clothes with burentine,” he advised previously.