GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The list of reportable diseases in Tennessee was just updated, and not on it again this year is Alpha-gal Syndrome.
The strange and potentially life-threatening food sensitivity is a tick-borne disease. The Lone Star Tick carries the disease, which leads to a serious food allergy to red meat products. It's hard to know how many people are affected, however, a recent CDC report estimates that from 2017 to 2022, there were more than 90,000 documented cases in the country.
"It really started to put me over the edge as far as anxiety goes because I sort of became afraid to eat anything," said Melissa Strausbaugh. "I didn't know what was safe... what wasn't safe."
Strausbaugh believes she was bit in the fall by a Lone Star Tick near her home in Goodlettsville. Lone Star Ticks get their name from the white dot or "lone star" on females. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, it is a very aggressive tick. It is one of six types of ticks in Tennessee that transmits diseases.
"It's mysterious to some degree," Strausbaugh said.
Strausbaugh longs for more research on Alpha-gal Syndrome, so when people get the diagnosis they know what to do.
"A lot of what I was running into was 'Try it. See if it bothers you, and if it does, stay away from it.' But knowing the potential of anaphylaxis, I didn't want to put myself in that position," Strausbaugh said.
Strausbaugh says the allergy has been life-altering in many ways. It impacts not only what she eats, but social interactions because of needing to be careful about eating out and cross contamination, financial limitations because of the high cost of organic and vegan food and vaccine hesitancy because some contain animal-products.
Alpha-gal Syndrome is diagnosed with a blood test. Usually there are intense GI symptoms, hives or an itchy rash. There is no cure.
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-Rebecca Schleicher
