A fast spreading tick species in the US named Lone Star has a bite that carries severe allergic symptoms including the inability to eat red meat. As tick season enters full swing in the United States, disease ecologists have already warned that 2017 is expected to be one of the worst years for the parasites in quite some time. Immunologists are struggling to determine the cause of such peculiar symptoms, although it is believed the red meat allergy is traceable to a protein-linked sugar called alpha-gal. The tick season is just starting in the US with disease ecologists warning that 2017 will be one of the worst years for the parasites. In an effort to understand how ticks transmit diseases and what can be done about them, scientists at the University of California, Davis, have developed a new method which could help identify potential pathogens before they become widespread.
A fast spreading tick species in the US named Lone Star has a bite that carries severe allergic symptoms including the inability to eat red meat. Immunologists are struggling to determine the cause of such peculiar symptoms, although it is believed the red meat allergy is traceable to a protein-linked sugar called alpha-gal. The tick season is just starting in the US with disease ecologists warning that 2017 will be one of the worst years for the parasites. In an effort to understand how ticks transmit diseases and what can be done about them, scientists at the University of California, Davis, have developed a new method which could help identify potential pathogens before they become widespread.