HATTIESBURG, Miss.—Mississippians are no strangers to ticks, but residents of the Magnolia State may be surprised to learn that these pesky parasites are capable of spreading a food allergy that makes red meat particularly hazardous.
The allergy, known as alpha-gal syndrome, affects hundreds of thousands of Americans and is particularly prevalent in the southeastern United States, where ticks thrive due to the warm, humid climate.
University of Southern Mississippi researchers are among the many clinicians and scientists working to understand the allergy, which can prompt anaphylactic reactions to foods like beef, pork or lamb. It can also cause reactions to products made from mammals, including gelatin and some pharmaceuticals, including snake antivenoms.
Dr. Shahid Karim, a Southern Miss biology professor, studies ticks and the numerous diseases the tiny arachnids can spread to their hosts.
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He began studying alpha-gal syndrome in 2015 after hearing about it from a colleague while in one of the university’s recreational facilities.
“I was talking to Dr. (Rick) Green … we were in the locker room,” Karim said.
A ‘Thunderbolt’
Dr. Green, a now-retired recreational therapy professor, shared that he suffered from the allergy, which usually begins with the bite of the lone star tick. This type of tick, named because of its star-shaped spots, is indigenous to the eastern U.S. as well as Mexico.
“(The allergy) came on like a thunderbolt,” Green said. “I never really had any allergies. And I remember, about 10 years ago … my last day of teaching session one in summer … so, I go running home and I grab two cheeseburgers from McDonald’s. And, next thing I noticed, my palms were itching … and then my whole head started itching.”
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Rick Green explained the itching sensation he experienced during one of his first reactions to alpha-gal syndrome. (RHCJC News)
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