It’s been a bad tick season, and there are numerous types of ticks to look out for. One that’s becoming more common in Pennsylvania can trigger an unusual food allergy.
The lone star tick hasn’t made its way to the Pittsburgh area, that health officials know of, but experts are increasing their efforts to track the parasite.
What is the lone star tick?
If you enjoy the outdoors, you already know that deer ticks are the biggest risk in Pennsylvania, but the lone star tick is crawling around parts of the state. It’s an aggressive tick that can transmit diseases and may trigger Alpha-Gal syndrome, a red meat allergy.
“If we’re bitten by this tick and this molecule enters us, some people become sensitized to it and develop this allergy. No one quite knows why; just some people get it, and some people don’t,” said Leah Lind, Lyme and other tick-borne disease coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Health…