Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), the delayed, potentially fatal red meat allergy acquired through tick bites, has increased dramatically in the United States, and cases have also been reported in Sweden, Germany and Australia.1 As of 2013, more than 5,000 people in the Southwest U.S. have been diagnosed with the condition.2
In 2007, Scott Commins, MD, an allergist and associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, was among the first physicians to identify the meat allergy in patients with tick bites by overlapping the geographic distribution of the allergy with the Lone Star tick.3 4
Alpha-gal is short for Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, a carbohydrate molecule found in mammalian meats such as cows, pigs and lamb. Humans do not make this sugar, but they make an immune response to it. Ticks are believed to get it from feeding off wild animals, such as mice or squirrels, that also carry alpha-gal, which are injected into humans when they bite. “Whatever the tick is doing, it seems it’s a very potent awakener for our immune system to produce antibodies,” Commins says.
After Eating Meat, Severe Alpha-gal Allergy Symptoms Follow
Symptoms generally start three to six hours after consuming mammalian meat and include hives or severe itching; swelling of lips, tongue, face and throat; wheezing or shortness of breath; abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or vomiting; sneezing; rapid decrease in blood pressure; and anaphylaxis, a life-threatening medical emergency.5 6 The presence of symptoms before a severe reaction is common, but not a requirement, and the symptoms do not occur with every exposure to red meat.
One set of researchers note that every person with the alpha-gal allergy had consumed red meat without complications for many years prior to the onset of the syndrome.7 Diagnosis is made by a combination of personal history and a blood test confirming the presence of IgE antibodies to alpha-gal, and an individual with confirmed alpha-gal allergy must carry an epinephrine injector at all times in case of an anaphylactic emergency.8
A 2018 study7 found that 28 of 85 cases of anaphylaxis studied were the result of AGS, and the U. S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Tick Borne Disease Working Group reports that in central Virginia, alpha-gal allergy is the most common cause of anaphylaxis in adults.9
The delay and potency of the reaction is particularly strong with fatty meat, which takes longer to digest, and suggests to researchers that the alpha-gal may be carried in the fat of these animals rather than muscle.10 The reaction may be easier to elicit in the presence of a more recent (one to four weeks) tick bite.4
High Risk Factors: Mast Cell Disease, Certain Drugs
Risk factors for mammalian meat syndrome includes spending a lot of time outdoors, receiving multiple Lone Star tick bites, and having a mast cell abnormality such as indolent systemic mastocytosis.5
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), which appears to be increasing in prevalence in the U.S. and other countries, is associated not only with chronic anaphylactic reactions but also with various brain and immune system disorders ranging from asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and chronic fatigue syndrome to ADHD, depression, autism and cancer.11
Alpha-gal syndrome is more than a red meat allergy, however. Cosby Stone, MD, a fellow in Vanderbilt University’s Asthma, Sinus and Allergy Program (ASAP), said recent patients in their clinic have led researchers to take a deeper look into alpha-gal as not only as a food allergy, but a medication allergy. Medications they are investigating include antibodies derived from animals, like rattlesnake anti-venom, certain cancer treatments like Cetuximab, and products that contain gelatin (certain vaccines contain gelatin) or gel-based products.
Heart valves that are harvested from pigs and used to replace a failed valve have also been reported to cause reactions or a more rapid breakdown of the valve in alpha-gal allergic patients.12 Desiccated porcine thyroid found in natural thyroid replacement medications such as Armour, Westhroid and Naturethroid, is also derived from animals and could cause a reaction.13 14 Dr. Stone said:
What is difficult is predicting which alpha-gal patients will react to which drugs, foods or treatments, because the reaction varies by the patient. Some patients report reacting to alpha-gal in the context of beef, but not pork, dairy or gelatin, for example. At the same time, others will react to pork and not beef. Some alpha-gal allergic patients react to medicines or vaccines, and others do not. We don’t currently know how to predict which patients will react to which foods and drugs, and that is a major focus of our ongoing research.
Some product ingredients mask the fact that they are derived from a mammal, such as magnesium stearate, stearic acid, sucralose, and “natural flavors”. Sugar is another ingredient to avoid as it is processed over bone char, with the exception of certified organic sugar, which is safe.15
Cosmetics, Home Products, Many Foods Contain Alpha-gal
Though much of the concern about the Alpha-gal allergy has focused on meat and medications, patients can be exposed to the allergen in many other ways. About half of all people with AGS react to milk or dairy products, and a third react to airborne particles in fumes from cooking meat or dairy. Pet saliva and dander, exposure to farm animals and their waste, and even the semen of a sexual partner if he has consumed mammalian meat 48 hours prior to sexual activity may trigger a reaction. Bagged compost for use in gardens may contain manure or bone meal, and even the lanolin in lip balm or lotions may provoke a reaction.16
Gelatin is an ingredient in many food products and household items used in daily life, such as contact lenses, sutures, collagen implants, shampoo, tinned hams, salami, sausage coatings, fat substitutes, glazes and icing, dips, food thickeners and candy such as marshmallows. Mammalian products are also used to clarify fruit juice or wine, and as a binding agent in some tablets, capsules and suppositories.17
Some patients with AGS have sensitivity to some types of glycerin that are derived from animal fats. Glycerin is a food additive found in canned goods, candy, fondant, processed fruits, jams and energy bars. It is also used in medications, syrups, toothpaste, mouthwash, and tobacco, among many other products.4 17
Manufacturers Not Required to Label Alpha-gal Content
Manufacturers do not currently report alpha-gal content in their package inserts or test for alpha-gal content in products. Inactive ingredient information can change at any time, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require manufacturers to disseminate this information.18 Arkansas Representatives Julie Mayberry and Dwight Tosh submitted a citizen petition to request the U.S. Food and Drug Administration support Congressional action requiring the labeling of all products intended for human ingestion or injection if they contain mammal meat or mammalian meat products.6
Are vaccines safe for individuals with alpha-gal allergy? Animal-derived products used in vaccine manufacture can include amino acids, glycerol, detergents, gelatin, enzymes and blood. Cow milk is a source of amino acids and sugars such as galactose. Cow tallow derivatives used in vaccine manufacture include glycerol. Gelatin and some amino acids come from cow bones. Cow skeletal muscle is used to prepare broths used in certain complex media. Many difficult to grow microorganisms and the cells that are used to propagate viruses require the addition of serum from blood to the growth media.19
CDC Chart Lists Vaccine Ingredients Sourced from Mammals
The CDC’s “Vaccine Excipient and Media Summary Excipients Included in U.S. Vaccines, by Vaccine“ lists the following mammal-derived ingredients: bovine, pig, canine, calf, mouse brains, Cocker Spaniel, Africana Green Monkey, Guinea Pig cell cultures, lactose, magnesium stearate, sugar(s), glycerin, hydrolyzed porcine gelatin, Mueller’s growth medium, Mueller-Miller casamino acid medium (without beef heart infusion ) (casamino acid medium is made with many ingredients including casein, which is mammal derived), and Medium 199 (may contain mammal sub-ingredient “Minimum Essential Medium” made using a number of ingredients, including fetal bovine serum).20 21
Mammalian-derived ingredients are included in vaccines such as influenza, rabies, rotavirus, varicella (chickenpox), zoster (shingles), IPV (polio), Japanese encephalitis, typhoid, yellow fever, MMR/MMRV, and DTaP (multiple manufacturers),22 and vaccines have been specifically identified as causing anaphylactic reactions in those with alpha-gal allergy.23 24 25 26 27
Traditionally, influenza viruses are grown on hen’s eggs, but the Flucelvax Quadrivalent influenza vaccine for the 2019-2010 flu “season” is an egg-free, “cell based” vaccine manufactured with cultured mammal cells.28 Manufacturing influenza vaccines using mammalian cell-based technology has been identified as a priority for national security reasons due to increased flexibility for rapid production,29 and is expected to be used to a greater degree in future vaccines.
Tick-Borne Diseases Threaten Health in U.S.
The CDC reports that tick-borne diseases increasingly threaten the health of people in the U.S. As the geographic range of the lone star tick continues to expand from its original territory in the southeastern United States into the northern and mid-western states, states like Maine report they are “bracing for the worst” in the face of the “aggressive” lone star tick. A warming climate provides conditions that favor a population explosion of deer and other mammal hosts, while urbanization and the fragmentation of forests has brought many of these animals and the ticks they host directly into human habited areas.29 30 31
Avoiding tick bites is the only known prevention for alpha-gal allergy, and avoiding mammal-derived products is the only known treatment, which leaves those individuals living with the allergy extremely vulnerable.
References:
1 Aubrey A. Red Meat Allergies Caused By Tick Bites Are On The Rise. NPR June 25, 2018.
2 Platts-Millsa TAE, Comminsa SP. Emerging Antigens Involved in Allergic Responses. Curr Opin Immunol December 2013; 25(6): 769–774.
3 Alpha-Gal Allergy – with Dr. Scott Commins. University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
4 Commins SP, Platts-Mills TAE. Delayed Anaphylaxis to Red Meat in Patients with IgE Specific for Galactose alpha-1,3-Galactose (alpha-gal). Curr Allergy Asthma Rep February 2013; 13(1): 72–77.
5 Alpha-gal syndrome. Mayo Clinic.
6 Carrison B. Vaccines–Are they Alpha-gal Safe? Tick-Borne Conditions United May 22, 2018.
7 Pattanaik D, et. al. The changing face of anaphylaxis in adults and adolescents. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology November 2018; 121(5): 594-597.
8 Steinke JW, et. al. The alpha gal story: Lessons learned from connecting the dots. J Allergy Clin Immunol March 2015; 135(3): 589–597.
9 Priority #3: Alpha-gal Meat Allergy. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services May 9, 2018.
10 Migala J. What Is Alpha-Gal Allergy? How a Tick Bite Can Make You Allergic to Red Meat. Prevention June 29, 2019.
11 Fisher BL, Hendler C. Mast Cell Disease and Vaccination: Is There Increased Risk? The Vaccine Reaction July 24, 2018.
12 News Wire. Alpha-Gal Found to be Both a Medication and Red Meat Allergy SnackSafely.com Apr. 17, 2018.
13 Slayden TA, et. al. A Bull In A Pill Shop: Alpha-Gal Allergy Complicating Treatment Options For Postprocedural Hypothyroidism. AACE Journals 2019.
14 Graedon J, Graedon T. Meat allergy could cause trouble with medications. St. Louis Post-Dispatch June 11, 2017.
15 Food. VeganWithASideOfChicken.com
16 Alpha-gal Tolerance Levels. AlphagalInformation.org.
17 Alpha-gal: Personal Impact. Arkansas Department of Health.
18 Kar I, et. al. Alpha-Gal (Mammalian Meat) Allergy: Implications for Pharmacists. Pharmacy Times May 27, 2015.
19 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bovine Derived Materials Used in Vaccine Manufacturing Questions and Answers. FDA.gov Mar. 23, 2018.
20 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine Excipient Summary. CDC.gov January 2019.
21 Potential Allergens in Vaccines per 0.5 mL dose. Institute for Vaccine Safety Dec. 4, 2018.
22 Stone CA, et. al. Anaphylaxis after vaccination in a pediatric patient: further implicating alpha-gal allergy. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology January 2019; 7(1): 322–324.e2.
23 Bircher AJ. Food allergy to the carbohydrate galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal): four case reports and a review. European Journal of Dermatology 2017; 27: 3-9.
24 Arumugham V. Evidence that Food Proteins in Vaccines Cause the Development of Food Allergies and Its Implications for Vaccine Policy. J Develop Drugs 2015; 4(4).
25 Caubet JC, et. al. Managing a child with possible allergy to vaccine. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Oct. 16, 2013.
26 Bradfisch F, et. al. Case series of anaphylactic reactions after rabies vaccinations with gelatin sensitization. Allergo Journal International 2019; 28: 103-106.
27 CDC. Cell-Based Flu Vaccines. CDC.gov Oct. 11, 2019.
28 Executive Order. Executive Order on Modernizing Influenza Vaccines in the United States to Promote National Security and Public Health. White House Sept. 19, 2019.
29 CDC. Lyme and Other Tickborne Diseases Increasing. CDC.gov Apr. 22, 2019.
30 Charns D. ‘Bracing for the worst’: Aggressive lone star tick expanding into Maine, New England. WMTV8 Dec. 6, 2019.
31 The tick population is booming. Is climate change to blame? And will ticke-borne diseases increase? The Washington Post May 22, 2019.
16 Responses
I would like to see a correlation of vaccination status with the cases of this disease. It seems to me that if someone who has received a bunch of extremely inflammatory vaccines (like people in the US do), and whose immune systems will be in a chronic storm of reactivity, will be much more vulnerable to anything like this.
In other words, the tick is injecting an antigen into your already chronically-stirred-up immune system and creates another allergy just like the vaccine antigens can (due to the effects of the vaccine adjuvants). That’s what vaccines are good at doing- creating allergies. To anything, including your own tissues (autoimmune diseases).
Another thought: a leaky gut situation could have the same effect– this substance could leak into the bloodstream through the gut after the person eats -whatever- and provoke an immune response in someone with a hyper-active immune system…
I find it hard to believe that a healthy, normal immune system would so easily fall victim to such a massive dangerous allergy… People have been eating meat and getting bitten by ticks for many thousands of years…
I agree, Tom! Because vaccines have all those mammalian ingredients, and they are being injected into people along with adjuvants, in my mind, they are a likely cause of Alpha-gal, not the tick so much. The tick is probably only a triggering factor. Tick pathogens mess with the immune system, so could be working synergistically with vaccines to cause the disease. I so wish someone would research this, especially since my family spends a lot of time outdoors.
I was diagnosed with this one year ago, at the age of 60. I never had any sort of health issues whatsoever prior to the anaphylaxis episode that sent me searching for answers. Fortunately, I found a doctor that was able to recognize the symptoms and order the bloodwork right away. 9 weeks prior, I had gotten into a nest of nymph ticks and the rest is history. This syndrome is present all over with a variety of different ticks. While there might be some sort of predisposition in those that actually get AGS, there definitely seems to be a link to the tick bites.
It is a complete life-change and can be quite terrifying to navigate at times since foods and meds are not labeled and even vegan dishes could be cross-contaminated in their preparation. Something needs to be done to better label ingredients because this is not going away—it (and other tick-related diseases) are growing at an alarming rate.
Yes, I too find it hard to believe the tick is solely responsible when they have biting humans for millennia without any allergy responses. Only recently has this condition developed. The correlation to vaccines cannot be ignored.
This is so scary to me have Lyme and the beef allergy and egg allergy plus 4 autoimmune disease. And I must continue to remind the drs who keep recommending vaccines for people like me is crazy.
Sadly, many people have had Alpha Gal since the early 80s, there just wasn’t a name for it or doctors “blew off” patients because “it wasn’t possible.” Its very possible and Alpha Gal is very near to be considered an autoimmune issue, because it jacks up a person’s immune system so badly.
I have Alpha Gal and this article is completely true, I have to research every single ingredient of every medicine I take, any food with “natural flavors” or suspicious ingredients…all because the FDA doesn’t require manufacturers to disclose any mammal ingredients…and there are many.
It is also worth knowing that many people who carry Alpha Gal have mild system upset and don’t even realize they have Alpha Gal. So there are many, many people walking around that are non-reactive. Doctors don’t yet know why some folks react and some don’t….mostly because funding for tick-borne diseases is abysmal and the U.S. is woefully unprepared for this onslaught.
Dr. Klinghardt is said to report 100% of Autistic kids he sees have Lyme. It can only be gifted by the vaccines.
The depop guys are getting better at bioterrorism.
We need to know which countries and areas have these reactions. Forensic science…
Bitten in 2017(and twice since)and exactly 30 days later became so unbelievably sick, I couldn’t believe it. Symptoms hit hard and as soon as you begin addressing, 1 issue, another pops up. Took 21 days of amoxicillian exactly as prescribed. Guess what? It did nothing. Now allopath claims its gone and ‘been treated’. Symptoms just keep piling on, meanwhile. Now a severe & ugly rash, extreme uncontrollable exhaustion & severe moving joint pain. 2 positive ANA tests. Now Allopath thinks it’s lupus, mixed connective- autoimmune disease. I KNOW where it came from. Those damned tick bites. Allopath knows all of this yet, asks me, “Do you want YOUR flu shot now?” Me, “No thank you” as I’m running out the door. Having no health freedoms, being sick & on disability forces people, to visit allopaths despite it being against our beliefs & conscience.
Thing is , it’s not just from the Lone Star Tick . Other countries have MMA/ mammal meat allergies from other ticks. So this is a global issue, not just a novel allergy pertaining to the USA. Secondly I want too add the lone star ticks are born with the alpha gal enzyme. That enzyme is what makes us humans have this reaction . So it would more likely be the Microbiome of the tick that’s changed than human beings . Third thing I want to mention any undiagnosed or misdiagnosed prolonged tick born disease caused immunological and sometimes neurological issues., which all trigger inflammation and mast cell activation. Doctors need to be more proactive with a quick diagnoses . People and Doctors both need more education and knowledge about Tickborne illnesses and prevention. More research is needed globally to see what has changed within these ticks to cause them to now have Alpha Gal enzyme in their saliva prior to their first blood meal .
I don’t like articles that make it sound like it’s just now spreading across the USA. Maybe it wasn’t meant that way.
It has been in the Midwest for a long time.
Been in Kansas since the 90’s at least. I’ve had it for 14 yrs.
My allergist, who retired, said it’s been in Kansas long before they think it’s been here.
When are doctors going to have to report cases and to where?
Your amount of people who have Alpha Gal is underestimated and needs to be updated .
Also you need to correct where it states flu vaccine years 2019-2010
It should say 2019-2020 .
I have had it since 1990 and I believe I was bit in New Brunswick Canada. I am pretty sensitive. One simple answer is to stop putting beef,pork by products in everything when it is not really required or if there is a plant based alternative.
The article also barely touched on medicines. Steroids can be a huge problem even antibiotics and with a growing popularity in botox and fillers look out .
And the food service business cross contamination is rampant
I got bit many years ago yet as I age I see unless drastic changes are made especially in the medicines and medical field it will most likely be what kills me. I don’t believe I would make it if I where unconscious in an accident in an emergency, or if I loose mental capabilities and where to go to a nursing home in the future.
Vaccinations do not cause alpha-Gal allergy. The chemicals including alpha-Gal in tick saliva as it feeds on a human, are believed to cause alpha-Gal allergy. People with alpha-Gal allergy can have a severe allergic reaction to many forms of vaccinations – sometimes it is just to the excipient (inactive ingredient). Or it is to the active ingredient as many vaccinations contain antibodies to a disease produced in large animals usually a horse.
Alpha-Gal allergy was only discovered in 2008 and research is ongoing. This does not mean it was not around before, people just did not know what was making them sick or in the worst cases, caused life-threatening allergic reactions or even death. If doctors did not know it existed, they could not diagnose it.
Ticks are becoming more prevalent – possibly deforestation, climate change conducive to ticks surviving to breed again, people moving into “tick territories to live”, and greater awareness of ticks and the diseases they transmit or a combination of all of these. People also travel more and often with a pet – a tick can establish itself in a new state fairly quickly when you consider one tick lays up to 3,000 eggs. For anyone who has a meat allergy, alpha-Gal allergy or has a family member with the allergy, you can join a Facebook group Alpha-Gal (close for privacy) that has over 6500 members.
I was diagnosed with AlphaGal in May 2019…..had 2 or 3 tick bites 30 days prior to diagnosis, I had to other underlying health conditions before getting AlphaGal, I got it from the tick bites. Drug manufacturers need to do their due diligence and start finding alternative ingredients for all the current mammalian byproduct ingredients currently in their drugs. When I need a prescription filled, I have to have it filled at a special Compounding Pharmacy and my Insurance does NOT pay for compounded prescriptions, so because I got Alphagal at no fault of my own, I have to pay huge drug prices out of pocket, something isnt right here. Drug manufacturers need to remove the animal based ingredients from medications.
Ticks know no borders. A huge amount of people have been diagnosed with AlphaGal here in Australia, with numbers escalating alarmingly these past few years, only because Doctors are waking up a little. Being compromised with multiple tick borne illnesses myself, I keep updated with tick news, worldwide. Humans have caused worldwide deforestation, climate crisis, and basically, plague ( viruses) and pestilence are on the rise. Our authorites here completely deny tick borne illnesses, although they have thrown a little research money on the AlphaGal. Due to bushfires and the non-stop clearfelling of timber and habitat in this country, wildlife is dwindling, yet the ticks are in plague proportions in country areas and hotspots on the coast. ticks that are not known ‘to bite humans’, are no longer fussy. A female can lay around 2000 eggs. West of where I live, the wildlife was decimated by ticks, and drought. I saw kangaroos and wallabys with hundreds of engorged ticks on and in their ears and colonys behind their necks…..when the animal dies, the ticks fall off and wait for their next blood meal…. if you do the maths on ONE animal with say, 50 ticks, no wonder they are so prolific now in areas never seen before. We have an unchecked, unstoppable epidemic of tick borne illness, with our AMA ( Aust medical association) and Dept of Health completely uninterested, and in denial.