Abstract

This study shows that persons in occupations such as timber harvesting and forestry and wildlife practitioners who encounter frequent exposure to ticks may have a high prevalence of sensitization to the sugar molecule galactose-α-1,3-galactose. Clinicians who treat patients in occupations with frequent exposure to ticks, or with mild to severe gastrointestinal reactions when they eat red meat, should assess sensitization to galactose-α-1,3-galactose.