Common Georgia Tick Causes Severe Allergy To Red Meat

Picture this. You sit down at your favorite steakhouse only to get really sick after eating the main course that used to make your mouth water. What could have caused this strange reaction to a meal that you’ve had hundreds of times before? According to WSB-TV, there is a tick causing a slew of problems for meat lovers all over the state. Though this tick is present throughout the country, it is the most common tick in Georgia.

Here's how it works.

If you are bitten by the Lone Star Tick, you develop a condition called Alpha-gal Syndrome. This syndrome causes you to break out in hives every time you consume red meat. The weird thing about it is that it causes a delayed reaction. Those bitten by this tick can eat hamburger and steak and not have a reaction until three to eight hours after they have consumed the meat.

“My face went numb — completely. And I went into and looked in the mirror and I was so contorted. I thought I was having a stroke,” Jim Dickerson, a native bitten by the tick told WSB-TV in regards to the side effects.

People suffering from this syndrome have also passed out, experienced low blood pressure levels, and broken out in a rash.