This picture is from the Public health image library database (PHIL) of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Tick bites are a concern to anyone spending time in the outdoors. Lyme disease has been a particular worry, but now tick bites from the 'lone star' tick have been linked to an allergic reaction after eating red meat. The allergic reactions are delayed and occur 3-4 hours after eating and the reactions range from hives to more severe, life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. From an article in UVA Magazine:
"A team headed by Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, U.Va. professor and former president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, recently published findings that suggest that tick bites may cause allergic reactions to red meat. Dr. Platts-Mills says that tick saliva may trigger the human immune system to produce antibodies to a carbohydrate called alpha-gal, which is found in red meat."
For the rest of the article: Ticked Off Carnivores (Fall 2011)
Additional info: Red Meat Allergy Likely Caused By Tick Bites (June 26, 2012)
The lone star tick, in addition to being associated with the meat allergy, is also associated with STARI (southern tick-associated rash illness):
Studies have shown that the rash is not caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
The rash may sometimes be accompanied by fatigue, headache, fever, and muscle pains. In the cases of STARI studied to date, the rash and accompanying symptoms have resolved following treatment with an oral antibiotic (doxycycline), but it is unknown whether this medication speeds recovery. STARI has not been linked to arthritis, neurologic disease, or chronic symptoms. Researchers once hypothesized that STARI was caused by the spirochete, Borrelia lonestari, however further research did not support this idea. The cause of STARI remains unknown.
For more information on the lone star tick, symptom differences between STARI & Lyme disease, and related tick topics:
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