Potential new Missouri law would track tick-borne meat allergy affecting thousands

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KY3) - Health experts believe Missouri may have one of the highest populations of people with a tick-borne meat allergy in the country, but there’s no way to know for sure.

Anywhere from 7,000 to 30,000 Missourians may have a red meat allergy caused by tick bites, according to the Dept. of Health and Senior Services, but the state has no way of knowing for sure because it doesn’t track Alpha Gal Syndrome. Alpha Gal Syndrome is an allergy to red meat and animal products caused by a bite from the Lone Star Tick. Symptoms can range from stomach pain to death.

Dr. Benjamin Casterline, an MU Health Care dermatologist and immunologist, is studying what causes some people to have more severe symptoms. Casterline said the signing of a bill to create a statewide tracking system for Alpha Gal would help him and other doctors better treat Missourians.

“Many people with Alpha Gal syndrome have very mild symptoms like GI pain or abdominal pain that they can avoid just by avoiding eating steak or hamburgers, whereas other people are at risk of a severe, even fatal reaction,” Casterline said. “Right now, we can’t tell who is who. We don’t have biomarkers that can identify high-risk people from low-risk.”

Casterline’s lab work may help identify biomarkers, but he needs the state’s help to identify where the at-risk populations are.

“Within Missouri, where should we be devoting resources on education and awareness or screening? We don’t have any guidance on that because we don’t know where in Missouri it’s the worst,” Casterline said.

House Bill 2372 would add Alpha Gal Syndrome to the list of diseases that must be reported to the Department of Health and Senior Services. Any Alpha Gal Syndrome case report must be submitted to DHSS within seven days of receiving a positive laboratory confirmation.

Subject to appropriations, DHSS can follow up on reported cases by applying a random sampling method for confirmation that the cases meet the most current surveillance case definition of Alpha Gal Syndrome of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill requires DHSS to submit an annual report to the CDC summarizing its findings related to the reporting and incidence of Alpha Gal Syndrome.

The bill to create a state tracking system for Alpha Gal Syndrome passed and is on Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk; he has not announced if or when he will sign the bill.

Ticks are most active during the summer. To protect against tick bites, wear clothes that cover arms and legs and use bug repellent with DEET while outside.

To learn more about Alpha Gal, click here.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.