Tick Bites in Transmission of the Alpha Gal Allergen Eliciting Red Meat Allergy
Abstract
Tick bites are thought to be the cause of red meat allergy (RMA). In humans, RMA is diagnosed by 3 - 5 hour delayed urticaria and anaphylaxis to dietary red meat, is caused by an unusual occurrence of enhanced IgE antibody production against galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (aGal), which is a common glycan in mammalian tissue with the exceptions of old word monkey and human. We hypothesize that ticks mediate the 'transmission' of the aGal allergen by the injection of tick saliva containing aGal glycans acquired from a prior intrastadial (same molting stage) blood meal on non-human mammals. The objective of this study is to identify the allergenic ticks (species, stage, gender, and prior host in the feeding) and to characterize the allergenic salivary components by using a novel mutant mouse model alpha-galactosyltransferase knockout mutant mouse (aGT-KO).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1172208
Entities
People
- Sherry D Fleming
- Yoonseong Park
Organizations
- Kansas State University