title: Haemaphysalis longicornis tick bites are a possible cause of red meat allergy in Japan.
abstract: Recent studies revealed that Amblyomma or Ixodes tick bites may cause red meat allergy, in which galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal) is a major IgE-binding epitope. The incidence of red meat allergy is high in Shimane Prefecture, as is tick-transmitted Japanese spotted fever. Therefore, we speculated that tick bites may cause these meat allergies. The carbohydrate α-Gal was detected in the salivary gland protein of Haemaphysalis longicornis (H. longicornis), the vector for Japanese spotted fever, by immunoblotting using anti-α-Gal antibody. H. longicornis salivary gland protein-specific IgE was detected in the sera of 24 of 30 patients with red meat allergies. Sensitization to tick salivary gland protein containing α-Gal is possibly a major etiology of red meat allergy; the carbohydrate plays a crucial role in its allergenicity. These results further indicate that the α-Gal epitope is present not only in Amblyomma or Ixodes, but also in Haemaphysalis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Shimane, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chinuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishiwata
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaji
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Shimane, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Shimane, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005690:Galactose / Q000276:immunology; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D018884:Ixodes; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069466:Red Meat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D064927:Tick Bites
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D005690:Galactose
keywords: Galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal); Haemaphysalis longicornis; Japanese spotted fever; red meat allergy; salivary gland