Missouri – Recent studies have shown that the lone star tick has been spreading to different states and their population is continuing to grow, causing more cases of alpha-gal syndrome. Southern Missouri has been shown to have the highest number of cases of alpha-gal syndrome.
For those who don’t know, the Lone Star Tick is a small blood-sucking parasitic arachnid, primarily found in southern states, which causes meat and dairy allergies. Females can be identified by the single white dot on their backs and males can be identified by the black lines along their bodies. Their impacted range stretches from Texas north to Nebraska, east to Maine, and south to Florida. These ticks had once been nonexistent in the Southern states but are now growing due to the cold snaps, invasive plants, and the growing deer population. The Lone Star ticks are also the known cause of alpha-gal syndrome. This syndrome is a potentially life-threatening allergy to red meat or other products made from mammals.
Symptoms of alpha-gal syndrome include hives or itchy skin, coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue, or eyelids. Other symptoms include nausea or vomiting, severe stomach pain, heartburn or indigestion, diarrhea, a drop in blood pressure, and dizziness or faintness. Individuals with this syndrome are advised to stop eating meat from mammals, including pork, lamb, venison, rabbit, and beef, as well as milk products. The CDC also notes that some patients will not experience a reaction to every product listed above. Symptoms of this syndrome can also lessen or disappear over time, with individuals being able to eat the products within a year or two.
The CDC agency reports that from 2010 to 2022, more than 110,000 suspected cases of AGS in the southern U.S.
