Studies: Meat Sickness from Tick Bites Getting More Common
2023-08-01
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1More than 100,000 people in the United States have become allergic to red meat since 2010 in reaction to tick bites, the government reports.
2Medical researchers say they believe many more people have the allergy and do not know it.
3The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released two reports on the subject recently.
4Ticks are very small animals that feed on the blood of other animals.
5One report estimated that as many as 450,000 Americans have developed the meat allergy.
6That would make it the 10th most common food allergy in the U.S., said Dr. Scott Commins.
7The University of North Carolina researcher co-wrote both reports.
8Health officials said they do not know of any confirmed deaths.
9However, people with the allergy have described it as strange and terrifying.
10"I never connected it with any food because it was hours after eating," said one patient, Bernadine Heller-Greenman.
11The reaction, called alpha-gal syndrome, happens when an infected person eats beef, pork, or other meat of mammals.
12Taking in other mammal products, such as milk, also causes the reaction.
13A sugar called alpha-gal exists in mammal meat and in the saliva of ticks.
14When the sugar enters the body through the skin, the body's own defense, or immune, system reacts too strongly.
15Scientists saw such reactions in patients taking a cancer drug that was made in mouse cells containing the alpha-gal sugar.
16But in 2011 researchers first reported that it could spread through tick bites, too.
17They tied it to the lone star tick. Scientists say the ticks live mainly in the eastern and southern U.S.
18One of the studies released recently examined test results from the main U.S. private laboratory looking for alpha-gal antibodies.
19Those tests showed the number of people who had the antibodies rose from about 13,000 in 2017 to 19,000 in 2022.
20Experts say cases may have increased for several reasons.
21They say the lone star tick population is expanding.
22They also suggest more doctors might be learning about the disease and ordering tests for it.
23But many doctors are not.
24The second study was based on a survey last year of 1,500 U.S. general care doctors and health professionals.
25It found nearly half of them had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, and only five percent said they felt very sure they could identify it.
26Researchers used that information to estimate the number of people with the allergy - 450,000.
27People with this condition can experience symptoms including hives, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, difficulty breathing, and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue or eyes.
28Unlike some other food allergies, which happen soon after eating, these reactions hit hours later.
29Some patients have only stomach symptoms.
30The American Gastroenterological Association says people with unexplained diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain should be tested for the syndrome.
31Doctors advise people with the allergy to stop eating meat and other foods that cause the reaction and to have epinephrine available to them at all times. And, doctors say, avoid tick bites.
32The allergy can go away in some people. Commins said he has seen that happen in about 15 to 20 percent of his patients.
33Staying free of tick bites is extremely important.
34"The tick bites are central to this. They perpetuate the allergy," he said.
35One of his patients is Heller-Greenman, a 78-year-old art historian in New York.
36She spends summers on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
37She said she is used to getting bitten by ticks on the island.
38She has had Lyme disease, also caused by tick bites, four times.
39About five years ago, Heller-Greenman started experiencing terrible, itchy hives on her back, middle and legs in the middle of the night.
40Her doctors decided it was an allergic reaction but could not identify the cause.
41She never ate a lot of meat, but one day in January 2020 she had two beef meals in a row.
42Six hours after eating the second, she woke up nauseated, then vomited, had diarrhea and a lack of balance, or dizziness.
43She passed out three times.
44Doctors identified alpha-gal syndrome as the cause soon after the incident.
45Heller-Greenman was told to avoid ticks and to stop eating red meat and milk products.
46There have been no allergic reactions since.
47"I have one grandchild that watches me like a hawk," she said, making sure she reads food labels and avoids foods that could cause a reaction.
48"I feel very lucky, really, that this has worked out for me," she said.
49"Not all doctors are knowledgeable about this."
50I'm Andrew Smith.
51And I'm Caty Weaver.
1More than 100,000 people in the United States have become allergic to red meat since 2010 in reaction to tick bites, the government reports. 2Medical researchers say they believe many more people have the allergy and do not know it. 3The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released two reports on the subject recently. 4Ticks are very small animals that feed on the blood of other animals. 5One report estimated that as many as 450,000 Americans have developed the meat allergy. That would make it the 10th most common food allergy in the U.S., said Dr. Scott Commins. The University of North Carolina researcher co-wrote both reports. 6Health officials said they do not know of any confirmed deaths. However, people with the allergy have described it as strange and terrifying. 7"I never connected it with any food because it was hours after eating," said one patient, Bernadine Heller-Greenman. 8The reaction, called alpha-gal syndrome, happens when an infected person eats beef, pork, or other meat of mammals. Taking in other mammal products, such as milk, also causes the reaction. 9A sugar called alpha-gal exists in mammal meat and in the saliva of ticks. When the sugar enters the body through the skin, the body's own defense, or immune, system reacts too strongly. 10Scientists saw such reactions in patients taking a cancer drug that was made in mouse cells containing the alpha-gal sugar. But in 2011 researchers first reported that it could spread through tick bites, too. 11They tied it to the lone star tick. Scientists say the ticks live mainly in the eastern and southern U.S. 12One of the studies released recently examined test results from the main U.S. private laboratory looking for alpha-gal antibodies. Those tests showed the number of people who had the antibodies rose from about 13,000 in 2017 to 19,000 in 2022. 13Experts say cases may have increased for several reasons. They say the lone star tick population is expanding. They also suggest more doctors might be learning about the disease and ordering tests for it. 14But many doctors are not. 15The second study was based on a survey last year of 1,500 U.S. general care doctors and health professionals. It found nearly half of them had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, and only five percent said they felt very sure they could identify it. Researchers used that information to estimate the number of people with the allergy - 450,000. 16People with this condition can experience symptoms including hives, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, difficulty breathing, and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue or eyes. Unlike some other food allergies, which happen soon after eating, these reactions hit hours later. 17Some patients have only stomach symptoms. The American Gastroenterological Association says people with unexplained diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain should be tested for the syndrome. 18Doctors advise people with the allergy to stop eating meat and other foods that cause the reaction and to have epinephrine available to them at all times. And, doctors say, avoid tick bites. 19The allergy can go away in some people. Commins said he has seen that happen in about 15 to 20 percent of his patients. Staying free of tick bites is extremely important. 20"The tick bites are central to this. They perpetuate the allergy," he said. 21One of his patients is Heller-Greenman, a 78-year-old art historian in New York. She spends summers on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. She said she is used to getting bitten by ticks on the island. She has had Lyme disease, also caused by tick bites, four times. 22About five years ago, Heller-Greenman started experiencing terrible, itchy hives on her back, middle and legs in the middle of the night. Her doctors decided it was an allergic reaction but could not identify the cause. 23She never ate a lot of meat, but one day in January 2020 she had two beef meals in a row. Six hours after eating the second, she woke up nauseated, then vomited, had diarrhea and a lack of balance, or dizziness. She passed out three times. 24Doctors identified alpha-gal syndrome as the cause soon after the incident. Heller-Greenman was told to avoid ticks and to stop eating red meat and milk products. There have been no allergic reactions since. 25"I have one grandchild that watches me like a hawk," she said, making sure she reads food labels and avoids foods that could cause a reaction. 26"I feel very lucky, really, that this has worked out for me," she said. "Not all doctors are knowledgeable about this." 27I'm Andrew Smith. 28And I'm Caty Weaver. 29The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. 30_________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32saliva - n. fluid from the mouth 33survey - n. a kind of study in which people are asked question to find something out about a subject 34symptom - n. a sign that disease is present 35hives - n. (pl.) a condition when the skin becomes red, swollen, and itchy 36nausea - n. a feeling of sickness in the stomach 37vomiting -n. to expel the food in your stomach out of your mouth 38pass out -v. (phrasal) to lose consciousness 39perpetuate -v. to cause something (that should be stopped) to continue 40label -n. a piece of paper on a product that has information about that product for people who want to know more about it