Alpha-Gal Syndrome
Subcategories
Alpha-Gal Syndrome
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a serious, potentially life-threatening allergic condition that can occur after a tick bite. It's named for a molecule, galactose-α-1,3-galactose, that's found in most mammals.
Symptoms occur after people eat red meat or are exposed to other products made from mammals. Because of this, AGS is also known as red meat allergy or tick bite meat allergy. Symtpoms range from mild to severe, including anaphylaxis, and are often characterized by a delayed reaction of 2-10 hours.
The lone star tick is the species mostly associated with AGS, but other kinds of ticks may be involved.
A CDC report showed that between 2010 and 2022, more than 110,000 suspected cases of AGS were identified. However, cases of AGS are not nationally notifiable to CDC, so the actual number of AGS cases in the United States is not known. More data and research are needed to understand how many people are affected by this condition.
