A tick bite can make you allergic to meat

One little bugger – the lone star tick – appears to be the main source of Alpha-gal syndrome in the United States. AGS is a severe allergy to a sugar molecule called falctose-alph-2,3- galactose which is found in the cells of most mammals. Symptoms appear after eating meat or other products with animal connections such as dairy or gelatin. Aside from AGS its bite can lead to Lyme disease, Heartland virus, Bourbon virus and Southern tick-associated rash illness. Other tick species haven’t been ruled out as potential sources of AGS
The syndrome and its connection to ticks were discovered by researchers in 2009. There were only 24 cases reported in the United Sates in 2009, by 2018 the number was over 34,000.
Like most food allergies, reactions can range from mild to life-threatening.
The good news is that poultry and fish don’t contain Alpha-gal and can stay in your diet.
There isn’t a cure for AGS.
Given that tick bites are the main cause of AGS, taking proper precautions while outdoors is your best defense against the Syndrome.