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Alpha-Gal Syndrome

mayoclinic.org

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Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#81

Post by LinuxBender »

r0m4n0 wrote: post #13
eganist wrote: post #2

This and Lyme are my main(ly irrational) reasons for never hiking outside of, like, Hawaii. And I'm sure a more seasoned HNer can scare me away from that, too. Any news on whether exposure treatments like those for peanut allergies have any effect on alpha-gal allergies too?

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…

Also avoid passing under low hanging branches. Ticks will hang out on a branch and wait for animals or humans to pass by underneath and then drop off onto them.

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#82

Post by SamBam »

shawnz wrote: post #80
gameswithgo wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the article explains this.

Where?

I don't believe it does, at least not clearly. The question is why we develop an allergic reaction to the alpha-gal sugar injected by the tick bite, and not to alpha gal simply by eating red meat.

I believe the usual hypothesis for reactions like this is that the body treats the tick bite as an injury, and a possible source of infection. It will probably initiate the primary (innate) immune system, which inflames the site and recruits immune cells. These cells then find the slightly-unusual alpha gal molecule, and incorrectly treat it as an antigen, leading to an adaptive immune response to alpha gal from then on.

My understanding is that vaccines delivered by injection actually benefit from this system as well, as the body rapidly initiates the innate immune system in response to the puncture wound caused by the needle.

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#83

Post by DebtDeflation »

What I don't understand is if alpha-gal is present in red meat, why do we not develop the allergy from eating red meat? If the answer to that question is that the alpha-gal molecule can not pass from the digestive system into the bloodstream, then how is it possible to have an allergic reaction from eating red meat once sensitized?

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#84

Post by rpeden »

setgree wrote: post #77

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…

BK always cooks The impossible whopper patties on the same grill as everything else unless you ask them to microwave it. I think they mention this on their website, but I'm not sure how obvious it is in-store, or if it's even mentioned there at all.

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#85

Post by jagged-chisel »

DebtDeflation wrote: post #83

What I don't understand is if alpha-gal is present in red meat, why do we not develop the allergy from eating red meat? If the answer to that question is that the alpha-gal molecule can not pass from the digestive system into the bloodstream, then how is it possible to have an allergic reaction from eating red meat once sensitized?

There’s a complex interaction between the tick’s saliva and the human immune system that activates this allergy. My wife also has this condition and her reactions start in her stomach often resulting in vomiting and she feels fine after. Sometimes, the reaction results in a migraine headache. In her case, it’s not just beef, but any mammal.

It seems that all mammals contain alpha gal except Old World monkeys (which includes humans.) But cannibalism is frowned upon, so no mammal for her.

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#86

Post by sildur »

setgree wrote: post #77

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…

> 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

I would hack into a covid vaccine factory and modify the mRNA code so it produces the spike protein and the alpha-gal protein.

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#87

Post by [deleted] »

setgree wrote: post #77

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…

[deleted]

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#88

Post by moneywoes »

Diederich wrote: post #16

My wife had this from late 2007 until mid 2009 and nearly died from it. She was one of the early, benchmark cases. We went to Mayo clinic in Rochester in the summer of 2008 and they had no luck identifying her symptoms. An exceptional allergy doctor near our home in Arkansas did endless research and mostly figured out what was going on. After my wife came off of beef in mid 2009 her symptoms completely disappeared. P…

What does her diet look like now? Has her health improved with a meat less diet?I worry if I get this I won't be able to eat much at all, already have celiac disease and lactose intolerance.

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#89

Post by Crisco »

r0m4n0 wrote: post #13
eganist wrote: post #2

This and Lyme are my main(ly irrational) reasons for never hiking outside of, like, Hawaii. And I'm sure a more seasoned HNer can scare me away from that, too. Any news on whether exposure treatments like those for peanut allergies have any effect on alpha-gal allergies too?

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…

I'm not sure about Alpha-gal Syndrome, but thankfully in Idaho you won't contract Lyme disease from tick bites.

I'm originally from Idaho but recently moved to Virginia. I've been far more cautious about ticks here than I ever felt the need to be in Idaho because you just don't get Lyme disease there.

When I go hiking here I treat my clothing with permethrin, wear long sleeved shirts and pants, and use 100% deet on any exposed skin. So far I haven't seen any ticks on my body.

Re: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

#90

Post by DebtDeflation »

jagged-chisel wrote: post #85
DebtDeflation wrote: post #83

What I don't understand is if alpha-gal is present in red meat, why do we not develop the allergy from eating red meat? If the answer to that question is that the alpha-gal molecule can not pass from the digestive system into the bloodstream, then how is it possible to have an allergic reaction from eating red meat once sensitized?

There’s a complex interaction between the tick’s saliva and the human immune system that activates this allergy. My wife also has this condition and her reactions start in her stomach often resulting in vomiting and she feels fine after. Sometimes, the reaction results in a migraine headache. In her case, it’s not just beef, but any mammal. It seems that all mammals contain alpha gal except Old World monkeys (which i…

>There’s a complex interaction between the tick’s saliva and the human immune system that activates this allergy.

"It's complicated" isn't really an explanation. Do you have any links that explain the actual interaction? I've been googling and can't find anything.

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