Rare tick-bite allergy leaves Nova Scotia woman unable to eat meat or dairy

A Pictou County woman says she is afraid to leave her house after being diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome, a rare allergic reaction to meat and dairy linked to lone star tick bites.

Melissa Baines told CBC’s Maritime Noon she was preparing soil in her garden in McLellans Brook, N.S., in May when she felt what she thought was a horsefly bite on her shoulder. Two weeks later, she found a tick attached to the spot.

“I reached around and got a hold of him … and I ran into the bathroom and flushed him because I assumed it was a regular tick,” Baines said. “I knew then that I would have to probably get treated for Lyme [disease].”

Her early symptoms included swollen joints, difficulty walking and brain fog. She also vomited after drinking milk.

Baines tried to push through the illness, assuming she had a combination of the flu and Lyme disease, but her condition deteriorated.

“I ended up in the ambulance and went to the hospital,” she said.

At the hospital, an attending physician suspected alpha-gal syndrome. While Baines had already disposed of the tick, she said a blood test revealed her blood platelets were depleted, which doctors indicated pointed away from Lyme disease.

The diagnosis has turned Baines’s life upside down. She must now carry an EpiPen and completely eliminate dairy and red meat from her diet.

“I can’t believe I’ll never have a donair again,” she said.

Dr. Jonathan Ross, an associate regional medical officer of health in Nova Scotia, said that the lone star tick carries a sugar molecule in its saliva that is found in most mammals, but not humans. When the tick bites a human, it can trigger an immune system overreaction.

“Days or weeks later, when they consume meat or dairy products from an animal such as a cow … they can actually have a reaction,” Ross said.

Symptoms can range from mild hives to life-threatening anaphylaxis, including swelling of the airway, tongue and lips.

Alpha-gal syndrome is not currently on Nova Scotia’s list of reportable conditions, meaning local labs and doctors are not required to flag cases to Public Health. However, Ross said the condition is actively on the radar of local medical professionals.

“I have heard from colleagues of patients who have had symptoms consistent with alpha-gal,” he said.

While alpha-gal remains untracked, Nova Scotia added three other tick-borne conditions to its mandatory reporting list in 2023: anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus.

Ross said diagnosing the allergy relies heavily on a patient’s medical history and symptoms, followed by a specialized blood test sent out of province.

To protect against tick bites, public health officials recommend:

• Applying insect repellent before heading outside.
• Wearing light-coloured clothing to spot crawling ticks easily.
• Tucking pant legs into socks and sticking to cleared, well-established paths.
• Checking yourself and your pets for ticks immediately after spending time outdoors.

Baines said she has spotted more lone star ticks around her property since her diagnosis, including one brought inside by her cat. For now, she prefers to stay indoors.

“I watered my flowers today because I didn’t want them to die, but I’m scared to go out on my property,” she said. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”

MORE TOP STORIES