<p>"“It’s very early days in this research—the tick connection was completely unexpected,” says Susan Little, a parasitologist at Oklahoma State University who is supplying the U.Va. researchers with lone star ticks, as well as blood samples from dogs with and without tick exposure, for further study. Dogs sometimes develop meat allergy too, and typically react with itching, skin lesions and hair loss, Dr. Little says.</p>
<p>And lone stars may not be the only tick carrier. Sheryl van Nunen, an expert in anaphylaxis at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia, has identified more than 400 patients with delayed reactions to red meat who had been exposed to another type of tick, Ixodes holocyclus, which feed on bandicoots, a type of Australian marsupial. Other meat-allergy cases, linked to other ticks, have been reported in Spain, France and Sweden."</p>
<p>We thought husband was allergic to beef for 20 years so didn’t eat it (or buffalo). Food allergist tokd us it was a sensitivity not a true allergy and he eventually tried eating some- and he no longer suffers any allergy symptoms!!! He used to get hives and his throat would swell and he would have. difficulty breathing- now no symptoms at all. He has had many tick bites over the years, especially as a young adult when symptoms first appeared. What I don’t understand is why his doctors wouldn’t have mentioned this to him, but perhaps this is news to doctors too?</p>
<p>P.S. Hw would have the same delay that is mentioned…eat dinner, then have a reaction just before bedtime or during the night. Scary! It is fascinating to find out why he had these reactions.</p>
<p>This is an additional explanation as to why some folks FEEL better when they avoid or minimize red meat, if they have unknowingly developed this allergy! Fascinating–had never heard about it.</p>
<p>I am allergic to many shellfish but fortunately not nearly as allergic as those who were written about in these articles. Food allergies are tough because cross contamination while eating out is so common. </p>
<p>I once got hives from eating at an Italian restaurant with a friend. I had salmon and she had lobster ravioli or similar. I think they cooked our meals on the same plan and there was cross-contamination. Most of the time I can handle a slight itching or mild hives, but when my resistance is down or it’s a heavy dose, it can be bad.</p>