N.H. and Vermont on the lookout for tick that can cause a meat allergy, a species moving north with climate change

Inside Climate News graphic; click on the image to enlarge it.

A tick that can cause an allergy to red meat may be expanding its territory to  northern  New England due to climate change.

When a lone star tick—so-called for the distinctive white spot on adult females' backs—bites a human, sometimes it "transmits a sugar molecule called alpha-gal that triggers an allergic response to lamb, pork and beef and, in some cases, other animal products. There is no cure, and the reactions range from eczema and a runny nose to difficulty breathing that can prove deadly," Claire Potter reports for the Valley News in West Lebanon, N.H., and White River Junction, Vt. "The tick also carries ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus disease, southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Bourbon virus disease and tularemia."

Though individual lone star ticks have been found in Vermont and New Hampshire, scientists believe they hitched a ride with migrating birds, since no breeding tick populations have been found locally. But that day isn't far off: lone star ticks have already spread as far north as Massachusetts and New York. Because of climate change, "We’re expecting them to make their way here," Eliza Doncaster, the vector management coordinator at the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, told Potter.

Alpha-gal-triggered meat allergies are becoming more common. That's not just because lone star ticks' habitat is expanding; because of climate change, they're living longer in the year, sometimes even surviving over the winter, and breeding more. So all tick-borne diseases are going up, as are diseases caused by similar pests. In fact, diseases from ticks, fleas and mosquitos tripled between 2004 and 2018.

Does someone in your community have an alpha-gal-triggered meat allergy? Check and see with this self-reported interactive map (note: the map shows cases entered by site users and is not verified). And here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to avoid tick bites (see graphic also).