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More than any other tick species in the southeastern and eastern states, these ticks attack people more frequently. This syndrome has been a recently popular disease, being covered by news reporters in Louisiana, Ohio, Washington D.C., and more! It is something to keep your eye on this summer. The lone star tick, so nicknamed from the single silvery-white spot that is on the back of females. Click here for the entire CDC Case Definition and symptom list. The lone star tick is unique in that it can transmit a molecule that causes alpha-gal syndrome, a food allergy to red meat. Ticks and tickborne diseases are increasingly a major health concern for humans, domesticated animals and livestock. Symptoms include nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting or hives (and many more) that occur 2-10 hours after ingesting meat. Symptoms are often delayed by two hours or more after exposure and can arise suddenly, even if you have been consuming meat safely for years. The Tick Research Lab of Pennsylvania is able to detect the most common tick-borne diseases in any of these species. Adults are reddish-brown in color, very round, and have prominent festoons. And the bite from a lone star tick has been linked to the development of meat allergies in. AGS, according to the CDC’s case definition, is a hypersensitivity reaction to galactose-α-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), found in non-primate mammalian meat and certain derivative products.ĪGS essentially creates a food-allergy to meat products. Until recently, the Lone star tick was more commonly found in the southern United States however, they have spread into northern regions of the country. Visually, Lone star ticks are easy to recognize because of a conspicuous white dot on the dorsal shield of the females, which gives this tick its name. Lone star ticks have also been found to carry bacteria that cause the diseases ehrlichiosis and tularemia. In the United States, it is most closely associated with lone star tick bites. If you are looking forward to grilling burgers this summer, or enjoying red meat at any time of the year, you are going to want to avoid lone star ticks to avoid this potential syndrome that could make you allergic to red meat!Īlpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) is on the rise in the U.S.