Delayed hypersensitivity reaction to mammalian galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal) after repeated tick bites in a patient from France

Abstract

The α-Gal syndrome is a tick-associated and emerging IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reaction directed against the carbohydrate Galα1-3Galβ1-(3)4GlcNAc-R (α-Gal) epitope after red meat intake. Herein, we describe a clinical case of a 44-year-old French patient who suffered from recurrent anaphylactic reactions after mammalian meat consumption for five years before the final diagnosis of the α-Gal syndrome was established in 2018. The patient also reported multiple tick bites prior to symptom onset. This unique type of allergy has increasingly been reported across the world, but it is still unknown in many European countries. Therefore, the present clinical case should increase awareness among primary care practitioners and further improve the early diagnosis of the α-Gal syndrome in affected individuals.

Keywords: Anaphylaxis; France; Galactose-α-1,3-galactose; IgE; Ixodes ricinus; α-Gal.