Table 1.

Features of the α-Gal Syndrome that Depart From Traditional Food Allergies

Allergy onset is most often in adults who have tolerated eating red meat their whole life. Anaphylactic reactions to mammalian meat usually have a delay of ~3–6 hours. Skin prick tests with meat extract are often inadequately sensitive for diagnosis. The epitope recognized by IgE is an oligosaccharide, not a protein. Primary sensitization is mediated via tick bites, not oral or inhalant exposure, and often occurs in subjects with no underlying atopic diseases or skin inflammation. Increasingly we are aware of patients whose symptoms are restricted to abdominal pain.