Summary: <br> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.talkingbiotechpodcast.com%2F288-alpha-gal-syndrome%2F&via=talkingbiotech" class="twitter-share-button" data-size="large">Tweet</a><br> <a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.talkingbiotechpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/288-Wison-cover.jpg"></a><br> <br> You find a tick on your skin and remove it. The next day you eat a sausage and wind up in the emergency room in anaphylaxis. After that, you can’t eat beef or pork without experiencing an intense allergic reaction. This is alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy induced by the saliva of ticks bearing a simple oligosaccharide (compound sugar), and the body mounts an immune response against it. The same oligosaccharide is also found in beef and pork. This strange condition is becoming increasingly more common. Dr. Jeffery Wilson is a physician at the University of Virginia who studies alpha-gal syndrome. We discuss this strange disorder, and consider strategies to solve it that will be discussed in the next episode.<br> <br>
