United States: A tick, which is known to cause meat and dairy allergies, is said to be spreading northward in the United States, thereby alerting health officials to sound health alarms.
More about the news
The tick known as the lone star tick, which is generally found in southern states, has been expanding its spawn recently. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports, the insect’s presence has been identified in more than 24 states.
According to Dr. Leslie Mertz, who explained in a 2022 article about such insects in Entomology Today, such lone star ticks had disappeared from the northeast and Great Lakes region at one time in the past, the Hill reported.
However, they are making a comeback in the areas where there is a shorter span of colder weather during winter, as well as there is a spread of invasive plants, with a rise in the deer population.
During summer, which is currently going on in the US, the population of the lone tick star, along with other varieties, are more likely to live.
More about Lone Star tick
These are majorly like other forms of ticks. However, they are considered to be fast-moving and aggressive biters.
As per the experts, the adult female ones are the largest ones, having a white dot on their backs, whereas male lone star ticks are smaller in size, along with black lines appearing on their backs, the Hill reported.
Know about alpha-gal syndrome (AGS)
This syndrome is linked to Apha-gal or, in other words, a combination of a carbohydrate in a protein.” It is found in cells of a variety of organisms but not in humans, as explained by Dr. Seth Mobley, a family medicine doctor in Arkansas.
Humans have a tendency to develop alpha-gal syndrome when bitten by a tick containing alpha-gal.
As per the expert reports, most of the lone star ticks are associated with this gel, wheras, other ticks do not possess it.
As per the CDC, AGS is life-threatening in some cases by causing a fatal allergy to red meat or other products made from mammals, the Hill reported.
Moreover, more than 100,000 have been reported cases of AGS in the time span of 2010 to 2022 in the US.