Barbecue is a staple in most Midwestern diets. When paired with a side of potato salad, it becomes a mouth-watering meal. Nevertheless, for one Kansas man, it nearly cost him his life, all due to a tick bite.
“I knew something was flawed after I was within the ER in September of this last yr,” Brian McCornack told FOX Weather.
Earlier that day, the professor and head of entomology at Kansas State University was on the state fair in Hutchinson, trying out insect collections and visiting colleagues.
On his way home, he decided to stop for a brisket and pulled pork sandwich.
Two hours later, McCornack stopped to refuel and noticed his wrist was getting itchy, which he found strange on the time.
Upon arriving home in Manhattan, he developed hives throughout his body. The itching became uncontrollable, accompanied by shaking and dizziness, and he had troubles respiration.
“My son thought I used to be having a heart attack,” McCornack said as he decided to lie all the way down to let things calm, taking some Benadryl to hopefully help.
Nothing was working.
“This was not normal,” he said. “I’ve never experienced that before, and went to the ER.”
McCornack was experiencing anaphylactic shock, emergency doctors said, who weren’t exactly sure of the cause at the moment.
After undergoing several tests and trying different medications, doctors prescribed him an EpiPen in case the identical thing happened after leaving the hospital.
It wasn’t until the next week, during a department presentation on alpha-gal transmission, that McCormack began connecting the dots.
“I said in my mind, ‘I feel that is what I even have,’” he recalled.
His wife thought the identical.
What’s alpha-gal syndrome?
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a serious and potentially life-threatening allergic condition that may develop after a tick bite, in line with the nation’s top doctors.
Growing evidence suggests that it’s primarily related to the bite of lone star ticks within the US, but other forms of ticks haven’t been ruled out.
When ticks bite humans, they introduce a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into the body.
This molecule, present in most mammals, comes from the blood of animals resembling cows and sheep that the ticks often bite.
The molecule is then transmitted into the human’s body after it attaches.
“Now what was wonderful before isn’t any longer wonderful,” McCornack said. “And that’s why it takes time and exposure before your immune system begins to attack the alpha gal.”
While the actual variety of AGS cases within the US isn’t known, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report showed that greater than 110,000 suspected cases of AGS were identified between 2010 and 2022.
Some people may even have the condition without being aware of it.
The life-changing bite
In June of last yr, McCornack experienced two lone star tick bites in quick succession. One bite was from a bigger male tick, and the opposite was from an engorged nymph that had been feeding for some time.
A month later, McCornack woke up one morning feeling like he had caught a stomach bug, which endured for a few month.
“I feel that’s when my body was slowly responding to the meats and byproducts that I used to be eating,” he said, noting that the immune response, on this particular case, takes time to develop antibodies to the alpha gal. “It wasn’t like I got bit, after which the following day, I’m allergic to meat.”
While people in all age groups can develop AGS, most cases have been reported in adults.
“I can still eat poultry, fish and shrimp, but being in a landlocked state, a meat state, that is unquestionably difficult,” McCornack said.
Transitioning away from pork has significantly altered McCornack’s lifestyle. Other than avoiding beef, pork or lamb – and even some rotisserie chicken – AGS has caused reactions to other foods that come from mammals, resembling dairy products or gelatins – including some pharmaceuticals, which affect a small percentage of those with the food allergy.
“I just happened to be in that population,” he said.
The one treatment for AGS is to avoid consuming pork and other mammal-derived products, the CDC states. Further data and research are also required to know the total impact of the condition.
Most reported cases of AGS within the US occur within the South, East and Central states. These are the areas where most lone star ticks are found, in line with the nation’s top medical doctors. In other countries, other tick species have been linked to AGS.
“You’ll be able to live with it,” McCornack said. “You only should do quite a bit more self-advocacy after a diagnosis.”
Kansas State University is actively supporting efforts to cultivate awareness and resilience against AGS. Visit hentomology.ksu.edu/ags with questions on AGS advocacy and other AGS resources.
Barbecue is a staple in most Midwestern diets. When paired with a side of potato salad, it becomes a mouth-watering meal. Nevertheless, for one Kansas man, it nearly cost him his life, all due to a tick bite.
“I knew something was flawed after I was within the ER in September of this last yr,” Brian McCornack told FOX Weather.
Earlier that day, the professor and head of entomology at Kansas State University was on the state fair in Hutchinson, trying out insect collections and visiting colleagues.
On his way home, he decided to stop for a brisket and pulled pork sandwich.
Two hours later, McCornack stopped to refuel and noticed his wrist was getting itchy, which he found strange on the time.
Upon arriving home in Manhattan, he developed hives throughout his body. The itching became uncontrollable, accompanied by shaking and dizziness, and he had troubles respiration.
“My son thought I used to be having a heart attack,” McCornack said as he decided to lie all the way down to let things calm, taking some Benadryl to hopefully help.
Nothing was working.
“This was not normal,” he said. “I’ve never experienced that before, and went to the ER.”
McCornack was experiencing anaphylactic shock, emergency doctors said, who weren’t exactly sure of the cause at the moment.
After undergoing several tests and trying different medications, doctors prescribed him an EpiPen in case the identical thing happened after leaving the hospital.
It wasn’t until the next week, during a department presentation on alpha-gal transmission, that McCormack began connecting the dots.
“I said in my mind, ‘I feel that is what I even have,’” he recalled.
His wife thought the identical.
What’s alpha-gal syndrome?
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a serious and potentially life-threatening allergic condition that may develop after a tick bite, in line with the nation’s top doctors.
Growing evidence suggests that it’s primarily related to the bite of lone star ticks within the US, but other forms of ticks haven’t been ruled out.
When ticks bite humans, they introduce a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into the body.
This molecule, present in most mammals, comes from the blood of animals resembling cows and sheep that the ticks often bite.
The molecule is then transmitted into the human’s body after it attaches.
“Now what was wonderful before isn’t any longer wonderful,” McCornack said. “And that’s why it takes time and exposure before your immune system begins to attack the alpha gal.”
While the actual variety of AGS cases within the US isn’t known, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report showed that greater than 110,000 suspected cases of AGS were identified between 2010 and 2022.
Some people may even have the condition without being aware of it.
The life-changing bite
In June of last yr, McCornack experienced two lone star tick bites in quick succession. One bite was from a bigger male tick, and the opposite was from an engorged nymph that had been feeding for some time.
A month later, McCornack woke up one morning feeling like he had caught a stomach bug, which endured for a few month.
“I feel that’s when my body was slowly responding to the meats and byproducts that I used to be eating,” he said, noting that the immune response, on this particular case, takes time to develop antibodies to the alpha gal. “It wasn’t like I got bit, after which the following day, I’m allergic to meat.”
While people in all age groups can develop AGS, most cases have been reported in adults.
“I can still eat poultry, fish and shrimp, but being in a landlocked state, a meat state, that is unquestionably difficult,” McCornack said.
Transitioning away from pork has significantly altered McCornack’s lifestyle. Other than avoiding beef, pork or lamb – and even some rotisserie chicken – AGS has caused reactions to other foods that come from mammals, resembling dairy products or gelatins – including some pharmaceuticals, which affect a small percentage of those with the food allergy.
“I just happened to be in that population,” he said.
The one treatment for AGS is to avoid consuming pork and other mammal-derived products, the CDC states. Further data and research are also required to know the total impact of the condition.
Most reported cases of AGS within the US occur within the South, East and Central states. These are the areas where most lone star ticks are found, in line with the nation’s top medical doctors. In other countries, other tick species have been linked to AGS.
“You’ll be able to live with it,” McCornack said. “You only should do quite a bit more self-advocacy after a diagnosis.”
Kansas State University is actively supporting efforts to cultivate awareness and resilience against AGS. Visit hentomology.ksu.edu/ags with questions on AGS advocacy and other AGS resources.
