Alpha-gal Food allergy (#ACAAI19 Twitter summary)

Dr. Ellis @DrAnneEllis Pork kidney allergy is driven by alpha-gal allergy. Co-authors such as exercise needed to elicit reactions.

Jason K Lee @lee_jasonk 19% of Forrest workers and hunters have alpha gal IgE, not all react clinically.

Dr. Dave Stukus @AllergyKidsDoc Fascinating story about ‘red meat’ allergy at #ACAAI19. Different than traditional food allergy:
-Delayed onset hours later
-Caused by sugar (alpha-gal) not protein
-Most people not allergic to other foods
-Sensitization caused by lone star tick bite

Kevin Parks MD @kparksmd dose response relationship between tick exposure and reactivity. more tick bites = increased likelihood of alpha-gal allergy. NOT just caused by Lone Star tick (as was originally thought based on the geography of initial cases).

Dr. Ellis @DrAnneEllis while the Lone Star tick is what we in North America associate with a cause of alpha gal allergy, many different ticks world wide have been associated. Amblyomma testudarium tick bites associated with alpha gal sensitization, for example.

Jason K Lee @lee_jasonk The antigen in alpha gal maybe an inherent tick protein and not from external. There is boosting of igE if bitten repeatedly by ticks. Waning of igE over time. May not need to avoid meat all the time with alpha gal. Possible desensitization can occur (case report level evidence).

Kevin Parks MD @kparksmd Recurrent tick bites boost alpha-gal reactivity. Avoiding ticks categorically can result in loss of sensitization, and tolerance to beef, pork, lamb.

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