lone star tick
Credit: Erik Karits/Unsplash
Lone star tick spreads northward, causing concern over meat allergy
A tick known to cause meat and dairy allergies is spreading north, alarming health officials as summer tick activity rises.
In short:
- The lone star tick, once rare in the northeast and Great Lakes, is spreading due to warmer winters and an increased deer population.
- This tick can cause alpha-gal syndrome, a severe allergy to red meat, with over 110,000 suspected cases in the U.S. from 2010 to 2022.
- Health officials advise preventing tick bites by using repellents and wearing protective clothing outdoors.
Why this matters:
The spread of the lone star tick increases the risk of alpha-gal syndrome, potentially altering diets and lifestyles. As global temperatures rise, regions that were once too cold for the lone star tick are becoming more hospitable. Milder winters and longer warm seasons provide a conducive environment for these ticks to survive and reproduce.
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Credit: Erik Karits/Unsplash
Rising threat: the Lone Star tick's northern expansion
The Lone Star tick's northward expansion brings new health challenges, as it carries diseases like ehrlichiosis, alpha-gal syndrome, and the Bourbon virus.
In short:
- The Lone Star tick, known for its aggressive behavior and unique diseases, is spreading northward, now established from Florida to Maine and as far west as Nebraska.
- This tick species carries several diseases, including ehrlichiosis, alpha-gal syndrome (a red meat allergy), and the potentially fatal Bourbon virus.
- Environmental changes, such as warmer winters and recovering forests, along with an increase in white-tailed deer populations, are contributing to this expansion.
Key quote:
"It’s kind of this perfect storm for them to be taking over."
— Andrea Egizi, Tick researcher
Why this matters:
The northward spread of the Lone Star tick, linked to climate change and environmental shifts, underscores the evolving nature of vector-borne diseases and their impact on national health.
Migratory birds are moving Lyme disease to new places and peoples.
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The tick that causes a meat allergy is on the move
The lone star tick can trigger an allergic reaction to red meat in those bitten. Now this arachnid’s territory is expanding.
Warming climate draws new tick threat into Chesapeake region
Experts say, a changing climate is attracting waves of new tick varieties to the region, swamping beleaguered efforts to control tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease.
www.northcarolinahealthnews.org
Ticks continue creeping southward in NC
The pandemic may have slowed reporting of tick-borne diseases, but the insects are more prevalent than ever and heading south, some carrying new diseases.
www.wired.com
The meat-allergy tick also carries a mystery killer virus
A tick best known for making people allergic to red meat can also infect its victims with the deadly Bourbon virus.
Newsletter
gizmodo.com
Weird meat allergy caused by ticks may be easier to catch than we thought
New research out this weekend suggests that bites from certain ticks can cause the allergy no matter what they've recently bitten.
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