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Alpha-gal allergy (or colloquially meat allergy) is a reaction to Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, whereby the body is overloaded with immunoglobulin E antibodies on contact with the carbohydrate. Alpha-gal is found in all mammals apart from Old World monkeys and the apes (including humans). Bites from the lone star tick, which transfer this carbohydrate to the victim, have been implicated in the development of this delayed allergic response which is triggered by the consumption of mammalian meat products. Despite myths to the contrary, an alpha-gal allergy does not require the afflicted to become a vegetarian, as poultry and fish do not trigger a reaction. The allergy most often occurs in the central and southern United States, which corresponds to the distribution of the lone star tick. In the Southern United States, where the tick is most prevalent, allergy rates are 32% higher than elsewhere. However, as doctors are not required to report the number of patients suffering the alpha-gal allergies, the true number of affected individuals is unknown. ==Allergy== The allergy was first formally identified as originating from tick bites in a 2007 paper by Sheryl van Nunen. Prior to the paper's publication, Thomas Platts-Mills and Scott Commins, were attempting to discover why some patients were reacting negatively to the carbohydrate in the cancer drug Cetuximab.〔 〕 They had previously hypothesized that a fungal infection or parasite could lead to the allergy.〔〔 It wasn't until Platts-Mills was bitten by a tick and developed alpha-gal allergies that his team also came to the conclusion that there was a link between tick bites and the allergy. Alpha-gal allergies are very similar to Pork-Cat Syndrome and hence misidentification can occur. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alpha-gal allergy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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