So Now You’re A Vegan: How One Small Bug Bite Can Change Your Appetite

Causing quite a bit of stir in parts of the Southwest, scientists discover that a rash outbreak of forced-veganism is likely due to a simple bug bite-but it's not a temporary issue physicians say.

Taking a bite of that burger unsettling in your stomach? Or how about the milk in your cereal? Feeling a bit woozy? Well it turns out that it actually may be due to a little pest you met on your morning walk. Amblyomma americanum, or more commonly referred to as the "Lone Star Tick", has been known to act as a vector for many diseases such as lethal pneumonic Tularemia and Lyme disease, but this time the problem just lies in their saliva.

Carrying in their saliva a common sugar found in red meats, named alpha-galactose, these ticks are the cause for a more serious and permanent affliction-allergies.

"Why would someone think they're [suddenly] allergic to meat when they've been eating it their whole life?" Dr. Erin McGintee, an allergist in New York, said in an interview with CBS News.

Oddly enough physicians and patients alike have been slow to find this discovery, but with the allergic reactions racking up death rates, more and more information is being found.

Researchers at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology say "recent studies have shown that many people who had hives or anaphylaxis three to four hours after eating red meat had also experienced at least one tick bite in their lifetime."

(Photo : Living the Run)

"In some [cases], a tick bite can lead to an adverse skin reaction that leads the body to produce alpha gal, a sugar which is also found in red meat" researchers say. "Those who have this antibody then react when they eat meat."

Much like other blood-born allergens, the affliction and intensity of reaction have to do with what your body has encountered before. In this case, alpha-galatose is not typically present in humans, so when your body is exposed to the sugar it detects it as an invader-a pathogen it must defend itself from.

Because of the protective lining of the digestive system, even rare meat from a butcher would not likely allow for alpha-galactose to cross the barrier into our bloodstream to cause a serious reaction. But with a simple tick bite, our system is suddenly infected. Once exposed to alpha-galactose, the human body will produce antibodies to readily protect itself whenever it encounters the sugary foe again-and every time you eat red meat after that, it'll wage all-out war.

Much like other allergies, this newly found red meat allergy that extends to most meat and dairy products, is rather broad in its spectrum of intensity. From itchy hives to full-blown anaphylaxis that can lead to near-instantaneous death if not treated immediately, physicians suggest that a permanent lifestyle change to avoid these meat-based products is the safest approach for anyone afflicted. However, in some individuals antihistamines have proven effective, although doctors still suggest that patients carry epinephrine auto-injectors (EPI pens) in the event of a rare adverse allergic reaction.