Ticks are a real terror for pet owners. After all, these insects can greatly affect the health of our pets, causing itching, irritation and even some more serious illnesses. In addition, they are also capable of affecting humans, even causing an allergy to red meat. See below how this happens.
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First cases of allergies
More and more cases appear in the United States of people who have allergic reactions to eating red meat. After the first patients, doctors noticed that they all had one thing in common: they were bitten by ticks. Because of this, researchers found that the species of this insect present in horses and tapirs is the culprit of these conditions.
Including, despite being warm climate, they have become increasingly common in regions where they were not so present, even during winter. In Brazil, they can also be found and are identified by a white spot on their back.
What are the symptoms of this allergy?
After being bitten by a tick, in addition to the possibility of experiencing shortness of breath, headaches and stomach problems, our skin can react with some rashes, hives, itchiness and swelling. In some cases, the allergic reaction can even trigger anaphylactic shock, which can lead to death.
Furthermore, when it comes to aversion to red meat, this is because when ticks suck the blood of other mammals, such as deer and horses, they also ingest alpha-gal sugars. Soon, when they bite humans, they inject that same substance into our bodies.
When this occurs, the immune system does not recognize such sugars, starting to treat them as a foreign body and generating a defense response. Thus, by consuming red meat, which also contains alpha-gal, the body will recognize it as a foreign substance.
Thus, through antibodies, a new response is generated to what the body considers "invader", making us allergic to these foods.