Bite from lone star tick may trigger allergic reactions to meat.

On its website, ABC News (6/21, Moisse) reports, "There's a new weapon in the war on meat: a tiny tick, whose bite might be spreading meat allergies up the East Coast." According to the story, researchers report that even though a bite from a lone star tick may not seem like much, "saliva that sneaks into the tiny wound may trigger an allergic reaction to meat -- agonizing enough to convert lifelong carnivores into wary vegetarians." The story quotes Dr. Scott Commins, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, as saying, "People will eat beef and then anywhere from three to six hours later start having a reaction; anything from hives to full-blown anaphylactic shock."

        CNN (6/21,Smith) notes that the food allergy "reactions vary on a case-by-case basis, sometimes with a patient experiencing a severe reaction and other times nothing at all. Doctors advise that people who are exposed to lone star ticks should be aware of the allergy, especially if they live in the country, where it could take some time to reach a hospital."

        The Huffington Post (6/21) mentions that "the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology noted on its website that, indeed, having an anaphylactic reaction to red meat that is delayed by several hours seems to be strongly linked with lone star tick bites, citing Commins' 2011 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology." The story also notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "recommends preventing tick bites by using DEET-containing bug repellant, washing yourself within two hours of coming inside from outdoors, doing a tick check with a mirror, looking for ticks on your gear and pets and avoiding walking in grassy, bushy areas."