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 '-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 '-gal (galactose '-1,3 galactose) in their saliva. Ticks are often carried on deer and can be transmitted to a human host when people walk through grasses or past shrubs that contain the parasites. Cases of '-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. Even diagnosing it is difficult because people mostly experience vague symptoms, such as stomach pain or vomiting, hours after eating meat, and sometimes months after a tick bite. For this reason, the allergy is probably under-diagnosed. There is currently no...
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