There has been a tick found in the United States called the Lone Star tick. It was originally found in the Southwest and East parts of the United States, but it is spreading across the country. This tick is known for making people allergic to red meats. It is strange to think a tick could make someone allergic to a food they have been eating their entire lives. The ticks have a sugar in their mouths called alpha-gal, and this sugar is also found in red meats. Humans can normally ingest this sugar, but when a tick bites a human and the sugar enters the blood stream it sets off an immune reaction. This immune reaction causes humans to become allergic to red meats.
The allergic reactions are very puzzling to allergists because the reaction tends to happen hours after eating red meat instead of right away. Also, proteins typically cause allergic reactions, and the allergic reaction the Lone Star tick sets off is caused by a sugar, which is a carbohydrate. Allergists also do not know if the allergy is permanent. Some of the people show signs that the allergy is going away, but they do not want to risk eating red meat again. Unfortunately, if the patient does get rid of the allergy, it will come right back if another tick bites them (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-tick-bite-can-make-you-allergic-to-red-meat/).
It is scary to think a tick has the capability to make people allergic to food. When I first heard of this tick it was not near the Midwest, so I wasn’t too concerned about it. Then, I heard it was spreading across the country. There are many reasons why this tick could be moving across the county, and climate change is one of them. The ticks started in the Southwest and Eastern parts of the states and it is now moving in the direction of the Midwest. The climate change is causing the Midwest to heat up, and with warming temperatures the tick can survive here. If the tick invades the Midwest, not only will humans be affected, but it might also harm the native tick population. Any change in the biodiversity can throw an ecosystem off. Lets just hope this tick stays out of the Midwest.
The allergic reactions are very puzzling to allergists because the reaction tends to happen hours after eating red meat instead of right away. Also, proteins typically cause allergic reactions, and the allergic reaction the Lone Star tick sets off is caused by a sugar, which is a carbohydrate. Allergists also do not know if the allergy is permanent. Some of the people show signs that the allergy is going away, but they do not want to risk eating red meat again. Unfortunately, if the patient does get rid of the allergy, it will come right back if another tick bites them (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-tick-bite-can-make-you-allergic-to-red-meat/).
It is scary to think a tick has the capability to make people allergic to food. When I first heard of this tick it was not near the Midwest, so I wasn’t too concerned about it. Then, I heard it was spreading across the country. There are many reasons why this tick could be moving across the county, and climate change is one of them. The ticks started in the Southwest and Eastern parts of the states and it is now moving in the direction of the Midwest. The climate change is causing the Midwest to heat up, and with warming temperatures the tick can survive here. If the tick invades the Midwest, not only will humans be affected, but it might also harm the native tick population. Any change in the biodiversity can throw an ecosystem off. Lets just hope this tick stays out of the Midwest.