Meat allergy test RAST due to tick bite

Meat allergy RAST test - Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (RAST o215) from serum and NAF

Allergy screening for alpha gal if you have been infected by a tick and cannot tolerate meat afterwards.

This test is the same test as:

https://www.bloodtesting.nl/allergietest-ige-vleesallergie.html

New in the Netherlands

After Lyme disease, the Dutch tick also appears to be the spreader of alpha-gal syndrome, a condition in which people develop a meat allergy. Tick experts knew about the ailment from America, but did not know that European ticks can cause the same allergy. You can get swelling or hives, but the allergic reaction can also be life-threatening.

Symptoms

A bite from a tick can cause a delayed allergic reaction to red meat.
Some people bitten by a tick wake up three to six hours after eating red meat from hives or a very severe allergic reaction.
The characteristics of alpha gall syndrome are:

• itching,
• urticaria (hives)
• respiratory complaints
• gastrointestinal complaints
• anaphylactic shock

And usually occur 2-6 hours after eating mammalian meat.

How does meat allergy occur?

Alpha-gal is present in meat. When a person bitten by a tick eats meat, the immune system causes histamine to be released as a reaction. This then causes the symptoms. Anaphylactic shock due to meat is a severe food allergy. Normally, shock occurs immediately, in this case it is delayed. Therein lies the danger.
Previous research has shown that the Lone Star tick in particular leads to a meat allergy. Lone Star ticks are aggressive females that can be recognized by a white dot or star in the middle of their back.
Now it turns out that ticks in the Netherlands can also cause this allergy.

The allergic reaction occurs because the saliva of the biting tick contains the foreign substance alpha-gal. The small animal has previously acquired this by biting another mammal. Through the bite, transmission to humans occurs. The human immune system can respond by producing antibodies against this foreign substance, which, by the way, does occur naturally in mammals. If someone subsequently eats meat, an allergic reaction can occur. Alpha-gal stands for galactose-α-1,3-galactose, which is present in the cell membranes of mammals. The immune system can respond by producing IgE antibodies.

Not all tick species provoke alpha-gal syndrome. The only tick species in the Netherlands that can induce sIgE antibodies against alpha-gal is the tick Schapenteek (Ixodes ricinus).

Only meat from cattle, pigs, sheep and horses is involved. White meat, from chickens and other poultry does not cause problems.

For scientific evidence, see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3639458/