Nov 3rd, 2021
3 mins
A red meat allergy, also known as Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS), is an allergy to meat from mammals such as beef, lamb, pork and goat.
AGS was first reported in 2002 in the United States and the condition is most often caused by a lone star tick bite. Since the first report, a number of other AGS cases have been recorded in multiple countries involving six different tick species.
The tick bite transmits a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into the person’s body and on some occasions, this triggers an immune system reaction to produce immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, the allergen binds to IgE antibodies and causes cells to release histamine. The person could end up with mild to severe reaction, resulting in an allergy to red meat and other mammal products, including gelatin, cow’s milk, and milk products.
Doctors don’t yet know why some people develop alpha-gal syndrome after exposure to these tick bites and others don’t. It is also important to remember that not all allergies to red meat are caused by tick bites, but if the person has been bitten by ticks and later finds they can no longer tolerate red meat, the bites may have been the cause.
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