Meat allergy is on the rise — what scientists want to know

Rachel Fieldhouse in Nature:Thomas Platts-Mills develops a rash if he eats red meat. The immunologist is one of thousands of people who are diagnosed each year with tick-induced α-gal allergy — a life-threatening allergy that is on the rise. People can develop the allergy after being bitten at least twice by ticks that carry a sugar molecule called α-gal (galactose α-1,3 galactose) in their saliva. Cases of α-gal allergy are increasing in many countries. Researchers say climate change and rising deer populations are contributing factors, but there is much that scientists don’t understand about the disease.