We're in the thick of tick season, and that tends to trigger mental associations with Lyme disease. But as the arachnids emerge this year, attention is also being paid to a rare allergy that ticks may be spreading, and it's a carnivore's worst nightmare: itchy hives every time you eat red meat. The ticks implicated in the meat allergy are lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum)---a different species than the deer ticks which carry Lyme disease. Weeks or months after a bite from the ticks, people have reported a new allergy to beef, pork and lamb with a characteristic slow onset: while most food allergies would be felt instantly after eating, these meat allergies kick in three to six hours after a meal, often in the middle of the night.
Cases of the strange allergy were first reported at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 2007. Since then, allergy specialists ...
