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Alpha-Gal Syndrome

mayoclinic.org

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Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#71

Post by blisterpeanuts »

wtallis wrote: post #19
r0m4n0 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yea honestly I think a reasonable fear (at least I can relate). I have been van-life the past year and have seen my fair share of ticks. Just general advice that has been effective for me (I’m sure you can probably find this online) Before any hike, deet or other repellant on your skin and clothes/shoes. Know where they hang out and try not to go into deep grass. After a hike, shed all your clothes and shoes carefull…

DEET on skin and permethrin on clothing and shoes is more effective. With the right kind of clothing and thorough permethrin treatment, any ticks that get on you will be dead before they find their way past the clothing to bite your skin. Just don't use it on skin, and keep it away from your cats. DEET can also do nasty things to clothing made from synthetic fibers, which are generally some of the best clothing choic…

This is what many hunters use. Permethrin adheres so well to clothing fibers that it lasts through several wash cycles.

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#74

Post by shawnz »

Why doesn't red meat itself also trigger the allergy? What's different about the delivery from ticks that makes it allergenic as opposed to the delivery from food?

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#75

Post by shawnz »

hirenj wrote: post #29

Guess what? It's glycotime again! Gal(ɑ1,3)Gal (Galili epitope) is a common epitope in most animals, but in primates we lost the activity of the gene (GGTA1) to synthesise it. Since we don't produce it any more, it's recognised as foreign by our body and not only causes rejection in xenotransplantation, but also this Alpha-Gal allergy. I'm not going to comment on the actual immune mechanisms that take place with deve…

> Obviously, the solution to this problem would be to just eat primate meat instead

What if we gene-edited our babies to have GGTA1 again from birth?

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#77

Post by setgree »

My dad got Alpha-Gal a few years back and is now severely allergic to beef; recently he ordered the impossible whopper at Burger King and got the same allergic reaction, suggesting either a mix-up or some serious contamination. He was fine but it's no joke, can cause anaphylaxis, etc.

Side note, here's a free idea for a book: ecoterrorists conduct underground gain-of-function research on Alpha-Gal, making it transmit from person to person rather than from tick to person, with the goal of reducing red meat consumption and carbon emissions. Your protagonist could either be a Marion-Cotillard-in-Contagion type scientist trying to figure it out, or a Marion-Cotillard-in-Batman type zealot who truly believes that this syndrome offers mankind's salvation.

This idea was inspired, obviously, by my dad's experiences and recent speculation into Covid's origins: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/the-lab-leak-theory-...

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