Archive for the ‘Transmission’ Category

Understanding Alpha-gal Syndrome and Its Growing Geographic Overlap With Lyme Disease

https://www.globallymealliance.org/blog/understanding-alpha-gal-syndrome-and-its-growing-geographic-overlap-with-lyme-disease?

Understanding Alpha-gal Syndrome and Its Growing Geographic Overlap with Lyme Disease

by Dr. Eleanor Saunders on January 15, 2026

<span id="hs_cos_wrapper_name" class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_text" style="" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="text" >Understanding Alpha-gal Syndrome and Its Growing Geographic Overlap with Lyme Disease</span>
Learn about alpha-gal syndrome, a tickborne allergy to red meat, its causes, symptoms, testing, and relation to Lyme disease- as well as prevention tips and current research insights.

The Basics 

Alpha-gal syndrome is a more recently identified (c. 2009) tickborne disease. It differs from Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis in that it is not a tickborne infection – it is a tickborne allergy. Alpha-gal syndrome is an allergy to red meat and other products containing alpha-gal, including dairy and gelatin for those with more sensitive allergy.

Alpha-gal syndrome’s best recognized cause is tick bites, and it has been described on 6 continents, with the culprit tick species varying across the globe. Lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) bites are the primary cause of alpha-gal syndrome in the United States. Recently, rare cases linked to blacklegged and western blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis and I. pacificus) have been reported in Maine, Washington state, and the upper Midwest, well outside of the lone star tick range (Thompson et al. 2023). Despite this early evidence that blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks can cause alpha-gal syndrome, they are thought to be an uncommon cause given how few cases have been recognized in high-incidence Lyme regions, particularly of the northeastern United States.

The Timeline: tick bite to food allergy

It is not intuitive to connect how a tick bite can cause food allergy.

To begin with, a typical timeline of the development of allergy is as follows: a tick of a culprit species bites a human. (It is not yet known why some bites do and others do not cause alpha-gal syndrome.) Sometimes the tick bite that preceded new allergy is described as leaving an erythematous, inflamed, and itchy “bite site” lasting weeks. Many tick bites go unnoticed.

Weeks to months after the tick bite, a person who previously ate meat without incident has a meal containing red meat, such as a steak. However, they do not react right away. The allergic symptoms – which can include a combination of hives, facial and throat swelling, wheezing and difficulty breathing, vomiting and other gastrointestinal distress, and anaphylaxis – occur 2-6 hours after eating red meat.

The “classic” story of an initial reaction is someone who eats red meat for dinner, and then wakes up itching in the middle of the night, looks in the mirror, and is surprised to see hives and sometimes facial swelling. There are also less classic clinical presentations, such as people with isolated gastrointestinal distress who eat red meat frequently and may have a hard time connecting the two. Vegetarians and vegans who consume or are exposed to mammalian products may also manifest symptoms of alpha-gal syndrome. Tragically, the first case report of a death from alpha-gal syndrome has been recorded (Platts-Mills 2025).

The alpha-gal molecule and delayed reaction

Alpha-gal syndrome is an allergy to alpha-gal, which is a carbohydrate molecule. (Most food allergies are to proteins.) Human ancestors lost the ability synthesize alpha-gal tens of millions of years ago, but most mammals other than humans – including those that humans eat – do produce alpha-gal. Therefore, “red meat” – or meat from cows, pigs, sheep, deer, and other game – contains alpha-gal. (Fish and birds do not produce alpha-gal.) The alpha-gal carbohydrate in meat is attached to both fats and proteins. The fatty form, glycolipids, take time to be metabolized and enter the bloodstream. That’s why allergic symptoms often appear 2–6 hours after eating, rather than immediately.

In addition to mammals, ticks also have alpha-gal in their saliva, without ever biting a mammal. Why? One compelling explanation is molecular mimicry. Ticks have many ways of trying to disguise their bite to avoid being detected, so expressing alpha-gal may be one additional way to look like their hosts (deer, mice, and other mammals whose cells express alpha-gal). Of tick species in the United States, lone star ticks, blacklegged ticks, brown dog ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) and the invasive Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) have been shown to have alpha-gal in their saliva.

Testing for alpha-gal syndrome

Only if you have allergic symptoms, or unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms, should you be tested for alpha-gal syndrome. The test for alpha-gal syndrome is a serum test for alpha-gal IgE. IgE is a type of antibody that the immune system produces in response to allergens. A positive does not necessarily mean you have the allergy. Instead, it shows that your body has made IgE antibodies against alpha-gal, a state called being “sensitized” to an allergen, in allergy terminology.

A high percentage of adult populations screened for alpha-gal IgE in areas with lone star ticks are sensitized to alpha-gal, in the realm of 20-30% and even higher in heavily tick-exposed populations such as forestry and outdoor workers. However, most sensitized individuals in groups that have been screened are “sensitized only” and do not report allergy symptoms.

Alpha-gal syndrome and Lyme disease

There is no established connection between alpha-gal syndrome and Lyme disease in the United States. That’s partly because lone star ticks are the primary cause of alpha-gal syndrome whereas blacklegged ticks transmit the Lyme bacteria. It is important to note that western Europe is different: there, a single tick species—Ixodes ricinus—can both trigger alpha-gal syndrome and transmit Lyme bacteria. Even there, however, being bitten by one of these ticks doesn’t mean a person will develop both conditions. A Swedish study (Tjernberg et al. 2017) found no link between Lyme disease history and having alpha-gal antibodies.

[Ixodes ricinus is commonly known as the castor bean tick or the sheep tick]

Considerations for Lyme-endemic regions of the United States

It is important to recognize that the lone star tick range is expanding, particularly northward and eastward, and prominently along the northeastern coastline. Lone star ticks are now well-established in eastern Long Island, where there are also blacklegged ticks and Lyme disease. Lone star ticks are also increasingly found on Martha’s Vineyard. They are considered an aggressive human-biting tick. Deer are an important host for lone star ticks, whereas white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) are not.  EPA-registered insect repellents such as DEET and picaridin for skin and clothing and permethrin for clothing and gear remain important for lone star tick bite prevention, as for blacklegged and other tick bites. An important distinction from Lyme disease is that alpha-gal syndrome can likely be caused by a tick attached for as little as a few hours. The metric of removing a tick within 24 hours, while good advice for Lyme disease, should therefore not be considered protective for alpha-gal syndrome.

Tick bite avoidance

Not only is avoiding tick bites important to avoid developing alpha-gal syndrome, but it remains important for those who have the allergy. Over time (years), some patients with alpha-gal syndrome who avoid tick bites have declining alpha-gal IgE levels that correspond to a remission of their allergy and the ability to reintroduce red meat into their diets. Reintroducing red meat is a very individualized decision to be made with a knowledgeable healthcare provider and incorporating safety considerations. If a patient returns to eating red meat, new tick bites could cause allergic symptoms to return.

Current unknowns and research questions

Much of what is currently understood about alpha-gal syndrome, outlined above, comes from excellent, collaborative research. Yet important questions remain:

  • What percentage of people bitten by lone star ticks develop alpha-gal syndrome?
  • What percentage of people sensitized to alpha-gal go on to develop alpha-gal syndrome?
  • What genetic and immunologic factors determine whether someone sensitized to alpha-gal develops alpha-gal syndrome?
  • Why are some ticks (i.e., lone star ticks) more effective in sensitizing to alpha-gal and causing alpha-gal syndrome than others (i.e., blacklegged ticks)?
  • What compounds in tick saliva along with alpha-gal provoke the human immune system to produce allergic antibodies (IgE)?
  • What aside from ticks (and possibly chiggers, and Ascaris roundworms) can sensitize a person to alpha-gal? (Stoltz et al. 2019, Murangi et al. 2022)

There has been differing evidence about whether the molecule alpha-gal is produced by the tick itself or is synthesized by bacteria that are part of the tick microbiome. In either case, scientists have asked whether bacteria living in ticks could affect the amount of alpha-gal produced in tick saliva (Kumar et al. 2022, Cabezas-Cruz et al. 2018).

New treatments and future directions

For patients suffering from alpha-gal syndrome, the mainstay of management is avoiding red meat and—for some—dairy and other ingredients containing alpha-gal. For those patients sensitive even to minor exposures to alpha-gal, there also now exists a medication called omalizumab that has been effective in decreasing symptoms. It is an anti-IgE monoclonal antibody, and so works not only for alpha-gal syndrome but for IgE-mediated food allergy more broadly. Omalizumab may also be appropriate for those with unavoidable occupational exposures, such as those working in kitchens with skin and fume exposures to meat, and those who birth animals or dress deer and may be exposed to large amounts of body fluids containing alpha-gal (Nuñez-Orjales et al. 2017).

For patients who crave red meat but are allergic, GalSafe® pork is made from a genetically modified pig that doesn’t express alpha-gal, and so can be consumed by patients with alpha-gal syndrome. The technology of gene-editing mammals could also lead to medical products like gelatin and heparin (a blood thinner) being made without alpha-gal. Although reactions to these products are rare, concerns about alpha-gal have complicated medical care for some patients.

Tick control strategies

New strategies to control lone star tick populations are needed, both environmental controls and interventions under study such as a universal tick vaccine. Alpha-gal syndrome has reanimated some of these goals, both through the threat of people no longer being able to eat meat and dairy; through a growing understanding of how ticks interface with the human immune system; and through geography, which unites a growing swath of the United States population in a campaign against ticks and tickborne disease.

Short and sweet

A simple way to explain alpha-gal syndrome to others is double delay, double avoidance. There is a delay of weeks to months from tick bite to the first allergic reaction, and there is a delay of hours from eating red meat to when allergic symptoms appear. The treatment for alpha-gal syndrome is to avoid red meat and avoid further tick bites.

References:

Cabezas-Cruz A, Espinosa PJ, Alberdi P, Šimo L, Valdés JJ, Mateos-Hernández L, Contreras M, Rayo MV, de la Fuente J. Tick galactosyltransferases are involved in α-Gal synthesis and play a role during Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection and Ixodes Ixodes scapularis tick vector development. Sci Rep. 2018 Sep 21;8(1):14224.

Kumar D, Sharma SR, Adegoke A, Kennedy A, Tuten HC, Li AY, Karim S. Recently Evolved Francisella-Like Endosymbiont Outcompetes an Ancient and Evolutionarily Associated Coxiella-Like Endosymbiont in the Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) Linked to the Alpha-Gal Syndrome. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022 Apr 12;12:787209.

Maldonado-Ruiz LP, Reif KE, Ghosh A, Foré S, Johnson RL, Park Y. High levels of alpha-gal with large variation in the salivary glands of lone star ticks fed on human blood. Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 4;13(1):21409. 

Murangi T, Prakash P, Moreira BP, Basera W, Botha M, Cunningham S, Facey-Thomas H, Halajian A, Joshi L, Ramjith J, Falcone FH, Horsnell W, Levin ME. Ascaris lumbricoides and ticks associated with sensitization to galactose α1,3-galactose and elicitation of the alpha-gal syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2022 Feb;149(2):698-707.e3.

Nuñez-Orjales R, Martin-Lazaro J, Lopez-Freire S, Galan-Nieto A, Lombardero-Vega M, Carballada-Gonzalez F. Bovine Amniotic Fluid: A New and Occupational Source of Galactose-α-1,3-Galactose. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2017;27(5):313-314.

Platts-Mills TAE, Workman LJ, Richards NE, Wilson JM, McFeely EM. Implications of a fatal anaphylactic reaction occurring 4 hours after eating beef in a young man with IgE antibodies to galactose-α-1,3-galactose. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology In Practice. 2025 Nov.

Stoltz LP, Cristiano LM, Dowling APG, Wilson JM, Platts-Mills TAE, Traister RS. Could chiggers be contributing to the prevalence of galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose sensitization and mammalian meat allergy? J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 Feb;7(2):664-666. 

Thompson JM, Carpenter A, Kersh GJ, Wachs T, Commins SP, Salzer JS. Geographic Distribution of Suspected Alpha-gal Syndrome Cases – United States, January 2017-December 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023 Jul 28;72(30):815-820. 

Tjernberg I, Hamsten C, Apostolovic D, van Hage M. IgE reactivity to α-Gal in relation to Lyme borreliosis. PLoS One. 2017 Sep 27;12(9):e0185723. 

Guest Writer

Dr. Eleanor Saunders

Guest Writer

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own. Dr. Eleanor Saunders is an Infectious Diseases physician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Saunders received her MD & MPH from the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, completed residency in Internal Medicine at Bellevue Hospital/NYU Langone Health, and completed fellowship training in Infectious Diseases at UNC. Dr. Saunders works on the epidemiology of alpha-gal syndrome with Dr. Scott Commins, one of the foremost experts on AGS.

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For more:

Category:

Alpha Gal Meat Allergy, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

Yet Another Mainstream Media Hit Piece Minimizing Lyme Disease

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7048962

Why do so many celebrities have Lyme disease?

January 17, 2026

Celebrity claims are fueling confusion about the risks of Lyme disease. For The National, CBC’s senior health reporter Christine Birak investigates what’s really behind the boom in high-profile cases and uncovers a big-money industry profiting off chronic illness. [Correction: A previous version of this video included images of American dog ticks. It’s been updated to include images of blacklegged ticks.]

(See link for article & video)

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**Comment**

Trust me when I say that there is far more than images of ticks that require correcting!  Senior health reporter Christine Birak has a lot to answer for in this extremely biased and faulty piece.  The controversy regarding tick-borne illness is most probably older than the journalist herself, yet she doesn’t spend even one minute on it.

While we are told that the story uncovers a ‘big-money industry profiting off chronic illness,’ such as Lyme disease, no such thing occurs.  The truly big money is controlled by Big Pharma and the Government with patent royalties, and research grants, but is never mentioned. See: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/conflictreport.pdf

The journalist only interviews people who deny chronic, persistent infection. Never once does a Lyme literate doctor from ILADS get to present the controversy in detail, with global research demonstrating persistent infection, time and time again.

The story paints a picture that sick celebrities are taken at face value, are never questioned, and are simply poor, sorry sods who are simply wrong and not to be taken seriously.  Imagine for a moment if this same tactic was used with sick celebrities who have cancer…..

The story is nine grueling, factually inaccurate minutes I’ve taken the time to correct below:

SUMMARY

  1. Pulling a tick off before 24 guarantees nothing. Pathogens can be in the salivary glands which means transmission can and does happen rapidly.  They should have interviewed independent Canadian tick researcher John Scott.  He immediately would have set them straight on all things tick related.
  2. Early antibiotic treatment has to be early enough, long enough, and smart enough, but again, does not a guarantee a person will not develop a chronic infection requiring years of complex, expensive, and savvy treatment, not to mention the fact untold numbers are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed – making their cases even tougher because they weren’t caught early.  This large subgroup is simply kicked to the curb.
  3. There are other pathogens complicating the picture besides multiple strains of borrelia that cause disease and are transmitted by ticks.  They each require different treatments but aren’t even mentioned in this piece.
  4. The ‘experts’ that say there are ‘no risk areas’ are full of beans. To date, ticks are marching into places they’ve never been before, yet because of Andrew Spielman‘s antiquated and faulty maps of where ticks supposedly are and are not, untold numbers are being denied diagnoses and treatment.  See: the-counfounding-debate-over-lyme-in-the-south-speilmans-maps.  The fact ticks travel globally on birds,  reptiles, and mammals, as well as the fact our government spread ticks via airplane hasn’t helped either.
  5. ‘Early Lyme’ being ‘straight forward’ to diagnose is laughable.  This website has recorded story after story of those who were misdiagnosed and sent home only worsen into chronic Lyme. Doctors are still telling people with an EM rash that it’s just a spider bite, and sending them packing. In my experience, most patients have to figure it all out themselves. Lyme/MSIDS has been called a ‘do it yourself plague.’
  6. The reporter states that in 2024, Canada had 5,700 reported cases of Lyme. In the U.S. even the corrupt CDC admits that the number of Lyme disease cases is likely much higher than reported, due to under-reporting and changes in surveillance methods. In 2024 in the U.S., reported cases of Lyme disease rose from an average of about 37,000 from 2017–2019 to 62,000 in 2022. That’s an increase of nearly 70%. In order to report a case, you must meet the strict and arbitrary CDC reporting criteria using a test that is only 50% sensitive in the early phase of disease. Further, each state has their own voluntary reporting standards and ‘low incidence’ states are held to a stricter standard by having to show not only positive lab evidence, but clinical info which puts a heavy burden on local health officials. Lack of awareness and under-diagnosis is still a known long-standing issue for many states including California. You can’t count something that hasn’t been reported and you can’t report something you aren’t educated about. Due to these issues, the CDC includes insurance claim data to estimate cases. In 2021, there were 24,611 cases reported but the CDC estimated the actual number to be 476,000.  In the past, the CDC has said that Lyme disease cases are underreported by a factor of 10, which if used for 2024 – would total 620,000 annual cases.  Source Hopefully, it’s clear to see all of this is very unclear!
  7. Chronic Lyme is recognized by science, but you have to depart from IDSA ‘approved’ science, look at the global science, and realize Lyme/MSIDS will never fit neatly into a large randomized controlled trial (RCT). RCTs were designed for standardized drug testing, not complex, multi-systemic conditions such as Lyme/MSIDS.  This is something ‘mainstream’ medicine refuses to acknowledge, and the media blindly follows. Lyme science has been rigged from the get-go and continues to entirely omit the sickest patients due to how they create the study design for research.
  8. The doctor who spoke in the news story, Dr. Paul Auwaerter of Johns Hopkins has a long, known history of denying chronic Lyme. He only presents one side of a very disputed coin. To only choose to represent one side and over emphasizing that there’s a ‘whole industry created for chronic Lyme that’s taking advantage of people’ is not only unethical from a journalistic perspective, it ignores people like me, my husband, and virtually every single patient I work with who very well might be dead without this life-saving treatment.  Unconscionable.  
  9. All independent testing is presented as quackery – a long used trick of the establishment to monopolize testing. Cabalists spout ‘unvalidated’ test, as if there’s a true gold standard.  Make no mistake, currently ALL testing for tick-borne disease is abysmal – and everyone knows it until biased pieces like this are presented and they revert back to regurgitating and not thinking.
  10. Since the report is made by CBC News in Canada, they should have at least interviewed Vett Lloyd, a biology professor at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, who says most Lyme cases are missed with the standard test. She co-authored a study  with Dr. Ralph Hawkins, a clinical associate professor at the University of Calgary, using data from New Brunswick where they found the two-tiered tests miss 90 per cent of real Lyme infections. In Ontario, she says about 80 per cent of cases are missed.
  11. Current testing relies upon measuring antibodies that take 4-6 weeks to develop, can not distinguish between active infection from prior exposure or measure response to treatment.  The window for accurate testing is so small that only a handful of those infected are getting positives.  Trust me, there’s few false negatives. As Dr. McDonald aptly states:

    “If false results are to be feared, it is the false negative result which holds the greatest peril for the patient.” –Alan McDonald, Pathologist

  12.  Cabalists admit early diagnosis and treatment is best as the infection worsens with time, so how does a test that takes over a month to work help at all?
  13. A gold standard culture method test did exist but was disappeared due to the CDC testing monopoly.  There’s been a long and concerted effort to suppress direct detection tests.  In 2025, a study showed two investigational diagnostics outperform current tests for early detection yet nothing changes.
  14. The same doctor would rather regurgitate the long-held Cabalist phrase of ‘medically unexplained symptoms,’ (MUS) as the cause of why people are unwell than dare to even consider tick-borne infections and learn from ILADS.
  15. The journalist continues following the Cabalist MO when she makes sure to politely empathize that there are sick people who feel dismissed by the system, but that ‘private testing’ comes with significant risk – and then cites a paper done with the same faulty study design by none other than Dr. Paul Auwaerter, the same doctor who denies chronic Lyme and uses the MUS diagnosis so freely.  Seeing a trend yet?
  16. Treatment for early Lyme disease is not so ‘simple,’ due to the fact that many continue with symptoms – proving it’s obviously not working! Not to mention treatment failures have been seen in nearly every antibiotic study ever done. 
  17. It is not rare to have chronic Lyme when you consider the fact researchers only count those who are diagnosed and treated early into this group. When you add in those diagnosed and treated late, a whopping 40-60% go on to suffer long-term symptoms.
  18. The piece uses the infamous Cabalist term ‘Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome’ (PTLDS) which is horribly inaccurate, and faulty to the core. Then, while stating it’s ‘incurable,’ the report bashes alternative treatments and gives the ancient yet faulty 2001 Klempner study as ‘proof’ long term antibiotics don’t work and carry significant risks. In other words, just accept your sad, sorry lot, stay sick, and die already.
  19. The piece finishes with stating the media needs to be more critical of extremely ill celebrities who claim they have Lyme disease – as if being sick isn’t hard enough! Imagine if this was posited for cancer patients!  Can you even imagine?  Yet, it’s perfectly fine to dismiss Lyme/MSIDS patients.
  20. Another issue completely bypassed by this piece is that due to the controversy, doctors are too afraid to diagnose and treat patients, giving yet another reason for massive underreporting. For decades doctors have had to close their practices or have been sanctioned and have had to pay hefty fines.  My own doctor went through this gauntlet, paying 50K to protect his practice.  This is why LLMD’s do not accept insurance.  It’s quite often the insurance companies turning them in.  All of this plays a part in this Shakespearian like tragedy and should be fairly represented.

It’s high time the media wakes up and smells the coffee.  There was once a time when journalists endeavored to be unbiased, present the various sides of a story, and let the reader/viewer come to their own conclusions.  Sadly, those days appear to be long gone.  My journalism profs are rolling over in their graves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

New Rickettsia Species Found in Dogs & Lone Star Ticks in California

https://www.lymedisease.org/new-rickettsia-in-dogs/

Researchers confirm new Rickettsia species found in dogs

By Tracy Peake, NC State

Researchers from North Carolina State University have confirmed that a species of Rickettsia first seen in dogs in 2018 is a new species of bacteria.

The new species, dubbed Rickettsia finnyi, is associated with symptoms similar to those of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in dogs, but has not yet been found in humans.

Rickettsia pathogens are categorized into four groups; of those, spotted-fever group Rickettsia (which is transmitted by ticks) is the most commonly known and contains the most identified species. There are more than 25 species of tick-borne, spotted-fever group Rickettsia species worldwide, with R. rickettsii – which causes RMSF – being one of the most virulent and dangerous.

Symptoms of RMSF in dogs and people are similar, including fever, lethargy and symptoms related to vascular inflammation, like swelling, rash and pain.

“We first reported the novel species of Rickettsia in a 2020 case series involving three dogs,” says Barbara Qurollo, associate research professor at NC State and corresponding author of the new study.

“Since then we received samples from an additional 16 dogs – primarily from the Southeast and Midwest – that were infected with the same pathogen. We were also able to culture the new species from the blood of one of the naturally infected dogs in that group.”

To name a new Rickettsial bacterial species, the bacteria must be cultured, its genome sequenced and published, and the cultures must be deposited in two biobanks so that other researchers can also study it. Qurollo’s group successfully cultured the new species from the infected dog.

Culturing a difficult pathogen

“Rickettsia species are difficult to culture because these organisms grow inside of cells,” Qurollo says. “While we haven’t been able to confirm which tick species transmit it yet, we think it may be associated with the lone star tick, because a research group in Oklahoma found R. finnyi DNA in a lone star tick.”

The researchers named the new species Rickettsia finnyi, after Finny, the first dog they found it in.

“By naming it after an individual dog, we wanted to honor all companion dogs that have contributed to the discovery of new pathogens that could cause serious illness in both dogs and humans,” Qurollo says.

The work appears in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

SOURCE: North Carolina State University

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https://www.lymedisease.org/lone-star-ticks-california/

Are lone star ticks taking hold in California?

The lone star tick, notorious for spreading disease and causing a red meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome, has long plagued the eastern United States.

Now, UC Davis researchers warn it may be edging closer to establishing itself in California.

Their study uncovered seventy-six lone star ticks reported across the state, including recent finds in the Bay Area and San Clemente. While field teams in 2024 and 2025 didn’t recover any during surveillance, climate models show coastal California offers prime conditions for the species.

Experts say the tick isn’t officially established yet, but the risk is real. With climate change and increased movement of animals and people, scientists caution that Californians should stay vigilant, check for ticks after outdoor activities, and report unusual sightings.

Click here to read the study in the journal Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases.

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**Comment**

Sadly, climate clap trap has taken hold in research because a political tribalism has taken over due to highly competitive, but limited research dollars to be vied for.  “Science” has been wrong about global warming for over 50 years but refuses to admit fault or reform.  

Regarding tick and disease proliferation, independent research has already proven the climate is a mute point as ticks are highly ecoadaptive, yet the narrative continues on like a bad penny.  And nary a word is ever mentioned about our own government experimenting on ticks and dropping them out of airplanes.

Much easier to blame the climate phantom.

Category:

Activism, Alpha Gal Meat Allergy, Climate, research, Rickettsia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ticks, Transmission

FL Governor Slams Proposal to Engineer Meat Allergies in Humans to ‘Save the Planet’

UPDATE:  The news feed is filled with how Bill Gates is changing his tune on climate change.

He’s not.

He’s just reframing the argument to appear less monstrous, but, don’t be fooled.  He’s still the same monster.

Case in point: He still feels the planet is too populated, and is putting his money toward that end.  Gates worked with USAID for nearly 25 years. The corrupt and colossally wasteful USAID is also involved in a sterilization scandal.

Here’s what this looks like:

Bill Gates + USAID = sterilization.

According to Dr. Hoffe, vaccines have been used at least five times (Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and India) in the past to reduce fertility.

But, there’s more:

http://  Approx. 12 Min

Gates’ New Plan to Jab the Cows

10/31/25

This frightening injection for cows and scary additives for their food is to curb the methane they produce.  All for profit of course – Gates’ profit.  Just when we hoped Gates would disappear from our sight, he’s back with more schemes for our food.  He just had a secret meeting with President Trump and then came back two weeks later for another.  Something monstrous is definitely brewing in the kitchen.

Gates has his fingers in so many pies it’s hard to keep them all straight.  The many pies include, but aren’t limited to:

Bill Gates is everywhere, affecting everything, but he’s no philanthropist.

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/florida-governor-desantis-slams-red-meat-allergy-ticks-human-geoengineering/

Florida Governor Slams Proposal to Engineer Meat Allergies in Humans to ‘Save the Planet’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized a bioethicist’s video suggesting humans could be engineered to develop a red meat allergy, linking the idea to the World Economic Forum and World Health Organization. “Genetically engineering humans to become allergic to meat because some elites think people eat ‘too much’ of it is insane,” DeSantis wrote.

by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D.
October 20, 2025This article was originally published by The Defender — Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website.
tick and burger

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week publicly rejected the notion that humans could be engineered to develop a red meat allergy as a way to curb meat consumption and protect the environment — an idea he linked to the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

On X, DeSantis posted a 2016 video of Matthew Liao, a professor of bioethics at New York University and director of its Center for Bioethics. Liao tells his audience that ticks could be used to spread allergies that make humans unable to tolerate red meat — an idea that has been repeated by other bioethicists.

“People eat too much meat. And if they were to cut down on their consumption of meat, then it would actually really help the planet,” Liao said in the video. “There’s this thing called the lone star tick, where if it bites you, you will become allergic to meat. So, that’s something we can do through human engineering.”

DeSantis said Liao’s statements are “an example of why entities like the WEF and WHO are persona non grata” in Florida.

“Genetically engineering humans to become allergic to meat because some elites think people eat ‘too much’ of it is insane,” DeSantis wrote.

Tim Hinchliffe, editor of The Sociable, said that while Liao’s comments were not new — the video is from an almost 10-year-old talk at the World Science Festival — DeSantis’ remarks were significant.

“Although he’s slow to the game, at least he’s noticing,” Hinchliffe said.

Liao “has been talking about making people allergic to meat for over a decade, going back to his TED Talk 12 years ago, in 2013,” Hinchliffe said.

During that talk, Liao said, “Just as some people are naturally intolerant to milk or crayfish, like myself, we could artificially induce mild intolerance to meat by stimulating our immune system against common bovine proteins.”

Sayer Ji, chairman of the Global Wellness Forum and founder of GreenMedInfo, said DeSantis is “right to call out the WEF’s agenda targeting meat consumption.”

“This isn’t dietary advice — it’s social engineering,” Ji said. “Unelected global organizations have no business dictating what free people eat, especially when they’re demonizing traditional foods that have sustained human health for millennia.”

In a follow-up X post Friday, DeSantis questioned widespread claims that cattle and their carbon footprint harm the environment. “The notion that cattle are destroying the planet has always been ridiculous,” he wrote.

Kendall Mackintosh, a board-certified nutrition specialist, said such claims aren’t “just about climate,” but are also centered around “control and consolidation.”

“Real, regenerative farming supports independence and local economies. Centralizing food systems through synthetic or lab-grown products benefits corporations, not families,” Mackintosh said.

Ji agreed. He said such proposals are indicative of “the merger of biotechnology and behavioral control.” He added:

“The war on meat has never been about climate. It’s about control — consolidating food production under centralized, patented, technology-dependent systems.

“Meat represents everything the global technocracy fears: decentralized production, nutritional independence and cultural traditions that resist standardization. When people can raise their own food, they’re harder to control. The WEF understands this perfectly.”

Recent paper suggests spreading meat allergy to humans is a moral obligation

A paper published earlier this month in the journal Bioethics proposed using the lone star tick to spread alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), “a condition whose only effect is the creation of a severe but nonfatal red meat allergy.”

In the paper, Western Michigan University bioethics professors Parker Crutchfield, Ph.D., and Blake Hereth, Ph.D., argued that “if eating meat is morally impermissible, then efforts to prevent the spread of tickborne AGS are also morally impermissible.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when it bites, the lone star tick transmits the alpha-gal sugar molecule into the human bloodstream, leading to a red meat allergy. Consuming red meat after being infected could result in life-threatening anaphylaxis.

The paper’s authors present what they called the “Convergence Argument.” If a specific action “prevents the world from becoming a significantly worse place, doesn’t violate anyone’s rights, and promotes virtuous action or character,” then it becomes a moral obligation to perform this action, they said.

According to the authors, the use of AGS to spread a red meat allergy to humans meets these criteria. However, they acknowledged ethical obstacles: few people would likely volunteer for the tick bite, and forcing it on people would raise questions of bodily autonomy and freedom.

The authors told The College Fix in an August email that their paper does not constitute an endorsement of spreading AGS to humans, but offers a hypothetical framework raising ethical and philosophical questions.

Mackintosh questioned this denial. “Calling it a ‘thought experiment’ doesn’t make it any less disturbing. The idea that inducing an allergy or harming human health could somehow serve a moral purpose shows just how far detached some parts of academia have become from basic human ethics,” she said.

“The fact that this was even published tells you how normalized these anti-human, anti-food narratives are becoming under the guise of ‘ethics,’” Mackintosh added.

Ji said the paper raises questions about bodily autonomy.

“This is about far more than food, it’s about whether human beings retain sovereignty over their own bodies, or whether that sovereignty can be overridden by those who believe they know better. The answer to that question will determine whether we remain free,” he said.

Mackintosh questioned the authors’ claim that lone star tick bites “only” lead to AGS.

AGS “can cause severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, and can completely alter someone’s diet and quality of life,” Mackintosh said. “The suggestion of using ticks or any biological vector to intentionally spread an allergy is beyond unethical. It’s dangerous, unpredictable and medically reckless.”

A 2023 CDC report said AGS cases were on the rise in the U.S.

DeSantis previously outlawed sale of lab-grown meat in Florida

While DeSantis didn’t directly address the paper or AGS in his X posts, he has consistently spoken out against efforts to shift people away from red meat and toward alternatives such as lab-grown meat and insects.

Last year, DeSantis signed legislation prohibiting the sale of lab-grown meat in Florida. According to a press release, the law aims “to stop the World Economic Forum’s goal of forcing the world to eat lab-grown meat and insects,” which a 2021 WEF article characterized as an “overlooked” source of protein.”

“Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,” DeSantis said at the time.

DeSantis has previously questioned other WEF and WHO policies, saying they are unwelcome in Florida.

Joseph Sansone, Ph.D., a psychotherapist who sued DeSantis and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to prohibit mRNA vaccines in Florida, said that while he has been “litigating against DeSantis for over a year and a half to stop mRNA injections,” he agrees with DeSantis on this issue.

“DeSantis is calling out something that many Americans feel — they don’t want global organizations or unelected bodies deciding what they can or can’t eat,” Sansone said.

Mackintosh said lab-grown meat raises questions about potential health risks.

“There are questions about contamination risks, the use of antibiotics or growth media, nutrient content, and even the true environmental impact once scaled up. It’s also ultra-processed — far from the whole, nutrient-dense foods our bodies were designed to thrive on,” she said.

“Many lab-grown meat companies are using immortalized cell lines — cells that are capable of continuously dividing and growing in a manner disturbingly similar to cancer cells,” Ji said. There is a “complete absence of long-term safety studies” for such products.

Scientists have raised similar concerns about human consumption of insects. The exoskeletons of many insects contain chitin, a natural material that can trigger an allergic reaction in humans. Some studies suggest that humans cannot digest chitin, while other studies suggest humans “don’t digest it well.”

WEF suggests consuming alternative meats will ‘save the planet’

The WEF has repeatedly promoted reducing the consumption of red meat and animal products.

In a 2019 video, the WEF suggested that in the not-too-distant future, humans would be allowed to consume only “one beef burger, two portions of fish and one or two eggs per week” to “save the planet.”

That year, the WEF published a white paper calling for “a transformation in the global system for protein provision” to meet climate-related targets.

Also in 2019, the WEF published an article stating that humans will be “eating replacement meats within 20 years.” A 2020 WEF article said there were “promising” signs that humans will begin consuming lab-grown meats. A 2022 WEF article said lab-grown meat “almost entirely eliminates the need to farm animals for food.”

Mackintosh said corporate interests are behind the push for “alternative” meats.

“The biggest winners in the lab-grown meat push are large food conglomerates, biotech companies and venture capital investors who own the patents and production technology. Small farmers and ranchers — the backbone of our food system — lose. This is about creating dependence, not sustainability,” she said.

Ji agreed. “Follow the money. Biotech corporations and their investors stand to profit massively from patents and market control,” he said.

In 2019, Bill Gates invested in Beyond Meat, an alternative meat producer. In his 2021 book, “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need,” Gates said stopping climate change requires a shift in human behavior, including a switch to synthetic meats. He later suggested that wealthy countries should switch to “100% synthetic beef.”

Beyond Meat’s stock price recently cratered, dropping from an all-time high of $240 to less than $1 amid low consumer demand in the U.S.

Liao suggested chemically inducing empathy, making kids smaller

DeSantis and others have suggested a link between Liao and the WEF, including a claim that Liao’s 2012 co-authored paper, “Human Engineering and Climate Change,” which argued that “human engineering deserves further consideration in the debate about climate change,” was the subject of a discussion at the WEF’s 2021 annual meeting.

At present, the only mention of Liao on the WEF’s website is in connection to a paper he co-published last month proposing “a structured approach” to the governance of artificial intelligence.

Hinchliffe noted that the WEF “does have a habit of scrubbing what it considers to be negative publicity from its website.” However, whether or not there is a direct connection between Liao and the WEF, Liao “is definitely aligned” with WEF policies, he said.

Liao previously suggested how humans could change their bodies to fight climate change. These include the “pharmacological induction of empathy,” which involves taking a pill to induce empathy; “cognitive enhancements” so that humans have fewer children; memory modification; and administering hormones to children so that they remain smaller in size because “being smaller is environmentally friendly.”

Ji said:

“Academic papers proposing disease vectors to manipulate behavior aren’t harmless philosophy — they’re rehearsals. They move the Overton window, normalize the abnormal and provide intellectual scaffolding for future atrocities. The field of bioethics has become less about protecting human dignity and more about rationalizing its violation.”

Related articles in The Defender

This article was originally published by The Defender — Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Please consider subscribing to The Defender or donating to Children’s Health Defense.

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**Comment**

Yet another article that should scare the bejeebers out of you.

For more:

Category:

Activism, Alpha Gal Meat Allergy, research, Ticks, Transmission

Bioengineering Without Boundaries: Why Lyme Disease Belongs in the GMO Debacle

https://gmoscience.org/2025/10/20/bioengineering-without-boundaries-why-lyme-disease-belongs-in-the-gmo-debacle/

Bioengineering Without Boundaries: Why Lyme Disease Belongs in the GMO Debacle

Michelle Perro, MD
Published: October 20, 2025

Lyme disease is not simply an infection.  It is a lens into the consequences of manipulating biology without accountability. As we confront the obfuscated crisis of Lyme and other chronic infections, it becomes evident that bioengineering in pathogens and genetic engineering in food are part of the same continuum of unregulated biotechnology. Both alter life’s blueprints, both evade oversight, and both are creating a legacy of ecological and human suffering.

In her groundbreaking book, Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons, science journalist Kris Newby details how US biowarfare research programs, including work at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, experimented with spirochetes to alter virulence and transmission. The intention of these manipulations, although unclear, likely spawned Borrelia burgdorferi, the stealth pathogen now linked to millions of chronic infections worldwide. The same recombinant DNA methods used in agricultural GMOs were being applied in microbial genetics at the time.

“When we manipulate genes for profit or power, the consequences ripple through ecosystems, our children, and future generations.”

Lyme rarely acts alone. It often coexists with Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Mycoplasma, Rickettsiae, and viruses such as Powassan, all of which exacerbate inflammation and neuroimmune dysfunction. These infections disrupt the immune system through biofilm formation, cytokine storms, and molecular mimicry, while simultaneously impairing gut barrier integrity; a condition known as ‘leaky gut.’ This state of immune chaos parallels the chronic inflammation seen in individuals exposed to genetically engineered foods and glyphosate residues.

Despite their shared roots in biotechnology, genetically modified foods and engineered pathogens are regulated separately by the USDA, EPA, FDA, NIH, and DOD, none of which coordinate holistic biosafety. This fragmented oversight allows both agricultural and biomedical engineering to advance without unified accountability. The same regulatory capture that shields agri-tech corporations has also protected infectious disease gatekeepers, such as the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), whose restrictive guidelines have left millions of chronic Lyme patients untreated.

Just as the FDA dismisses independent research on GMO toxicity, the IDSA dismisses clinicians and patients suffering from persistent Lyme. Both systems denied chronic exposure or chronic infection, labelled dissenting experts as “fringe,” protecting corporate and institutional interests over public health.  The pattern created is systemic and taken directly from the GMO playbook: create complexity, deny chronicity, and suppress those questioning the government/corporate narrative.

Lyme Mythology

Lyme Disease is the modern plague that never shouldn’t have been. It is now one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the United States, with the CDC estimating up to 3 million cases annually when underreporting is considered.

Although black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis and I. pacificus) are the best-known carriers, Borrelia DNA has been detected in a variety of other insects, suggesting other forms of transmission.  This fact is little known in mainstream medicine and leaves those with Lyme disease unclear as to how they were infected when consulting with their physicians who just believe that the tick is the only vector of Lyme.

The Multi-Vector Reality: Beyond the Tick

The following graph demonstrates that there are many other potential vectors of Lyme disease which should increase our awareness when facing those with multi- system complaints and health challenges.

Insect Evidence of BorreliaDNA Proven Transmission to Humans Comments
Ticks (Ixodes scapularis, I. pacificus) Strong Yes Primary vector
Mosquitoes (Aedes, Culex) Moderate No Possible mechanical transmission
Horseflies / Deer flies Moderate No Possible mechanical role
Fleas  Detected No Reservoir role in pets/rodents
Mites Rare No Wildlife vector potential
Lice (Pediculus humanus) Different Borrelia) Yes (B. recurrentis, relapsing fever) Demonstrates Borrelia versatility

Sources: Schotthoefer & Frost, 2015; Franke et al., 2020; Eisen et al., 2017; Jaenson et al., 2019.

Integrative Framework

Healing requires more than antibiotics or symptom management. It demands restoration of biological integrity. Integrative and terrain-based approaches rebuild the immune system through microbial, nutritional, and energetic balance.

The gut-immune axis is central to Lyme’s chronicity. Dysbiosis from antibiotics, poor diet, and/or environmental toxins (e.g., glyphosate, heavy metals) compromises the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT).  Over 70% of immune function resides in the gut creating conditions where infections persist and autoimmunity originates.

Supporting terrain integrity is essential though the use of an organic regenerative diet with strict avoidance of glyphosate-contaminated foods (which destroy beneficial gut flora).  Additionally, a whole foods based diet composed of increased polyphenols, flavonoids, healthy fats, and fiber are paramount to healing.

An integrative approach is necessary when helping those with Lyme disease and treatments stem from a multimodal tool box with suggestions outlined in article (See top link).

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**Comment**

One of the best articles I’ve read in a spell.  

My only qualm is with the treatment and transmission info. The antibiotics listed are not the only ones that work and their usage presented is not savvy enough.  Please see:   https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/13/lyme-disease-treatment/

Lyme literate doctors (LLMDs) have learned to track symptoms and then use treatment that works on given symptoms (that change).  This requires different drugs.  Also, once you beat back Lyme enough, it is quite normal for coinfections to become evident.  These also require different drugs.  Further, dosage matters.  Then, there’s the issue of pulsing and cycling – both techniques that experienced LLMDs use – precisely due to needing a judicious approach since treatment is often protracted.  Throwing antibiotics at this indiscriminately is unwise.

Treatment must be fluid to adapt to the ever changing symptoms.

Also, besides congenital transmission, sexual transmission is highly likely:

Category:

diet and nutrition, Gut Health, Herbs, Lyme, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment