A 62-year-old New Jersey man has developed an incurable meat allergy after being bitten by a tick that left him unable to eat steak, hamburgers and pulled pork.
Craig Smith, from Cream Ridge, suffers from alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), in which the immune system malfunctions and attacks molecules found in mammalian flesh.
Doctors say a bite from a tick whose saliva contained these molecules, likely picked up from its last meal, caused the condition.
There is no cure, meaning Mr. Smith – a self-confessed carnivore – had no choice but to adjust his diet and swap his favorite meats for chicken, fish and vegetables.
Doctors say the condition should ease within a year, but more than 12 months after his diagnosis, it shows no signs of stopping.
The disease is caused by alpha-gal sugar, which can be transmitted by the lone star tick (pictured above). It picks up the sugar after sucking blood from animals
Health officials say people with the condition can develop a rash that breaks out over their bodies, as shown above. Mr Smith said he also suffered from this rash
The lone star tick, named for the small white spot on its back, may look harmless and only cause a small sting in your skin – but what follows is a complete and possibly lifelong aversion to flesh.
The former worker and trade unionist first found out that something was wrong in the spring of last year.
He awoke in the middle of the night to discover a furious red rash spreading down his arms, legs, and back ? some larger than dinner plates.
The patches were raised and tender, intensely itchy and also hot to the touch.
“You’re itchy all over,” he told the local newspaper 11 Jun 2023 12NJ. com. “You think: what’s going on?”
The next day, he went to a doctor and an allergist, but neither could diagnose his condition.
He was given a course of steroids to reduce the rash, which worked, but as soon as the prescription ran out, they came back roaring with vengeance.
This was when a doctor suggested he may have alpha-gal syndrome.
Medics explained that this is normally caused by bites from a lone star tick – identified by the white spot on its back – a type that is spreading further north as temperatures continue to rise.
Mr Smith said he had no recollection of any recent tick bites, but could have been bitten around January and February while helping his daughter cut down a tree.
The ex-worker underwent a series of blood tests to confirm the diagnosis, which checked to see if he had alpha-gal-fighting antibodies. They came back positive.
Doctors then quickly changed his diet to cut out all mammalian meats — beef, pork and lamb — as well as dairy products — such as milk and cheese — that may contain the molecule.
Mr Smith said the change sent him into a deep depression and led to regular arguments between himself and his wife Liz, 66, who he has been with for more than four decades.
“Actually, I was a carnivore,” he told the local newspaper, “and that put me in such a narrow street.”
?You get so frustrated. Food becomes your enemy. I was completely devastated.’
But after the initial difficulty, Mr. Smith said he has now adapted to the new diet.
Ticks can pick up the alpha-gal protein from mammals ? such as deer and cows ? when they feed on their blood.
This can then be stored in their saliva and injected into human victims when they are bitten as well.
For humans, the immune system may mistake alpha-gal as a threat from the tick and start building antibodies against it.
That means that in the future, whenever the body is exposed to alpha-gal from meat, it will trigger an immune response or allergic reaction.
Cases of Alpha-gal syndrome in the US have increased in recent years as warming temperatures allow ticks to reach farther north and be active longer.
Experts say there were only a few dozen cases in the US in 2009, but current estimates say more than 34,000 people have been diagnosed.
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