Lone star ticks and meat allergies...

JackSprat

Senior Member
A very good friend of mine has developed this condition and she's not a hunter or outdoors person - more a gardener,

It is very very real. No red meat - she can end up in the emergency room. Nothing that contains red meat - chili, stews, dips.

NE GA. area.
 

308-MIKE

Senior Member
This scares me more than anything. My clothes are treated with permethrin. Hands, face, neck and body part exposed sprayed with either DEET or essential oils proven to repel bugs.
I'm about to order a ribeye, would be an awful existance if I couldn't.
 

SlowMotion

Senior Member
My 8 yr old and 5 yr old both and ticks on them a month ago after picking wild blackberries. We ran down real quick and didn't really think about the bug spray. Both lonestar ticks. It made me think of these type threads. Luckily, they are good but we are being more cautious when going out.
 

MikeyD6

Deleted
I actually was bitten by a lone star tick about a month ago. Something was bothering me in the middle of my back and I pulled him off just scratching the spot. When I saw the species, the potential allergy had me nervous but luckily no I’ll effects. The wound two about theee weeks to heal so he bit me good!! I personally have met two people effected by this allergy. Just awful and more common than you think

This is what happens to me too. Lone star tick bites make me itch like crazy right when they latch on, and the sore takes weeks to totally heal. Probably because it itches so bad I scratch it. Putting liquid Benadryl on the bite helps a lot, but it makes me nervous every time it happens. I wonder if its like Lyme disease, where they have to be on you for a while, or if only certain people develop it.
 

scountryman

Member
Quite interesting how it affects some people but not others. Personally been bit at least 3 times this year. Bite mark takes at least 2-3 weeks to heal, but no other affects. Thank goodness, I’m a meataholic ! Really feel for those affected by the little buggers.
 

Bucaramus

Senior Member
My question is, is this something that can develop over time? It's been many years since I've been bitten, but my tolerance to beef is getting progressively worse. To the best of my knowledge I can still eat deer meat and know that I can eat pork, but beef is getting to the point that I can't eat it anymore. Does this progress with time on some people?
 

UncleLee

Member
I just started hearing about this as well. I am 47, but when I was 12 I suddenly developed a severe allergy to red meat. Itching, swelling, then hives and ultimately anaphylactic with swelling throat and no breathing. Several trips to ER until they figured it out. I haven't had beef since, but not problem with venison. Main staples are pork, chicken and ground turkey.

I spent most of my free time on baseball field or in the woods back then, so I now wonder if that is not what happened. The reaction is no joke.
 

oppthepop

Senior Member
I guess I've been lucky. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled a lone star off of me, and so far, no reactions other than a month long bite that won't go away. I did have one buried up in my back years ago and i didn't find it until a couple days later - wound up at the ER with what appeared to be Rocky Mtn. Spotted fever. I won;t go into the symptoms on here, but it was horrible. Thankfully the red meat allergy hasn't happened to me.
 

KLBTJTALLY1

Senior Member
Great information and I can' believe I've never heard of this. I'll be a lot more cautious that's for sure.

Remember the days when a tick was just a nuisance and not anything to be afraid of?
 

MikeyD6

Deleted
I just started hearing about this as well. I am 47, but when I was 12 I suddenly developed a severe allergy to red meat. Itching, swelling, then hives and ultimately anaphylactic with swelling throat and no breathing. Several trips to ER until they figured it out. I haven't had beef since, but not problem with venison. Main staples are pork, chicken and ground turkey.

I spent most of my free time on baseball field or in the woods back then, so I now wonder if that is not what happened. The reaction is no joke.

So you're still able to eat venison?
 

patsam

Senior Member
I've had the lone star tick/ alpha gall virus for over 35 years. Had it before they knew what it was. Allergists couldn't even figure it out. I figured it out by process of elimination. If you contract this, you are subject to anaphalactic shock. Haven't had red meat since first episode. Man I miss me some red meat!
 

MikeyD6

Deleted
Great information and I can' believe I've never heard of this. I'll be a lot more cautious that's for sure.

Remember the days when a tick was just a nuisance and not anything to be afraid of?

Well, not all ticks cause it. The lone star tick has a little white dot on its back, that's the type that can cause it. I've been bitten a few times by them(no allergies), and it itches like crazy immediately, other ticks don't do that. I wonder if there is something unique about their saliva that causes an immediate immune response.
 
I've been reading about this more and more lately. For those who don't know, some people develop an allergy to red meat after being bitten by lone star ticks. Me personally, I've been bitten by them here and there, but so far no ill effects. Just curious, has this happened to anyone on this thread, or do you know anyone first hand that this has happened to?

This happened to a friend of mine also, but it was from this..........

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease
 

patsam

Senior Member
if you get it, you will get hives, itching (in my case, where blood collects, and restriction of the airway) . Saliva from the tick gets into the bloodstream. And its not a pretty site. Spray permithren and bugspray with deet before uyou goout!!
 
I want to know what is the best thing to use to prevent a tick bite. I keep apple cider vinegar in my system for this reason. I take one shot every morning. Is there anything else that you guys use?
 
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