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May 7, 2022, 13 tweets

Dr. Scott Commings. Beyone Meat: What alpha-gal syndrome teaches us about the immune response to tick bites.

Dr. @scott_commins says they first began to notice patients complaining of delayed reactions to beef in mid-2000's.

Commings says Initially the only test they had for Alpha-gal was a two step skin test.

Alpha-gal by the numbers. From 2013 to 2018 positive test results went from a few dozen patients to over 30,000. #ticks #alphagalsyndrome #allergies

Management of alpha-gal syndrome includes avoiding mammalian meats, and products that are derived from these products.

Commings says rhere are two types of alpha-gal syndrome & clinical presentations. #AGS

.@scott_commins says, in general Alpha-gal syndrome is managed through avoidance. #AGS

Initially they didn't understand the role ticks had in creating Alpha-gal syndrome. By performing blood tests after known tick bites they now know #AGS is triggered by tick bites.

We have an entire page on our website devoted to Alpha-gal Syndrome - Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment lymedisease.org/alpha-gal-synd… via @Lymenews

This is not comprehensive data but it does show a large spread of Alpha-gal syndrome. In the US it appears to come from the Lone star tick (and possibly the I. scapularis & I pacificus). In Japan & other parts of the world other ticks are involved.

Commins currently using Rhapsody to detect surface markers to determine how ticks actually cause alpha-gal allergy and other illnesses

In summary, this is how tick bites lead alpha-gal syndrome @scott_commins

Apologies Dr. @scott_commins autocorrect kept adding a “g” to your last name.

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