At a glance
- Find clinician training on how to diagnose and manage patients with alpha-gal syndrome (AGS).
- Read important research publications to enhance your practice.
Publications
Geographic distribution
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. 2023;72(30):815-820.
Clinical resources
Binder AM, Commins SP, Altrich ML, Wachs T, Biggerstaff BJ, Beard CB, Petersen LR, Kersh GJ, Armstrong PA. Diagnostic testing for galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, United States, 2010 to 2018.Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021;126(4):411-416.e1.
Chung CH, Mirakhur B, Chan E, Le QT, Berlin J, Morse M, et al. Cetuximab-induced anaphylaxis and IgE specific for galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose. N Engl J Med. 2008;358(11):1109–17.
Commins SP. Diagnosis and management of alpha-gal syndrome: lessons from 2,500 patients. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2020;16(7):667-677.
Commins SP, Satinover SM, Hosen J, Mozena J, Barish L, Lewis BD, et al. Delayed anaphylaxis, angioedema, or urticaria after consumption of red meat in patients with IgE antibodies specific for galactose-α-1,3-galactose. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009;123(2):426-433.e2.
Hilger C, Fischer J, Wölbing F, Biedermann T. Role and mechanism of galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose in the elicitation of delayed anaphylactic reactions to red meat. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2019;19(1):3.
Kim MS, Straesser MD, Keshavarz B, Workman L, McGowan MC, Platts-Mills TAE, et al. IgE to galactose-α-1,3-galactose wanes over time in patients who avoid tick bites. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020;8(1):364-367.e2.
Mabelane T, Basera W, Botha M, Thomas HF, Ramjith J, Levin ME. Predictive values of alpha-gal IgE levels and alpha-gal IgE: Total IgE ratio and oral food challenge-proven meat allergy in a population with a high prevalence of reported red meat allergy – PubMed (nih.gov). Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2018;29(8):841–9.
Platts-Mills TAE, Li R, Keshavarz B, Smith AR, Wilson JM. Diagnosis and management of patients with the α-gal syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020;8(1):15-23.e1.
Taylor M, Kersh G, Salzer J, Jones ES, Binder AM, Armstrong PA, et al. Intrinsic risk factors for alpha-gal syndrome in a case-control study, 2019 to 2020. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2024 S1081-1206(24):74-7.
Wilson JM, Schuyler AJ, Workman L, Gupta M, James HR, Posthumus J, et al. Investigation into the α-gal syndrome: characteristics of 261 children and adults reporting red meat allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019;7(7):2348-2358.e4.
Healthcare provider knowledge
Carpenter A, Drexler NA, McCormick DW, Thompson JM, Kersh G, Commins SP, Salzer JS. Health care provider knowledge regarding alpha-gal syndrome—United States, March–May 2022. MMWR. 2023;72(30):809-814.
Tick bites and alpha-gal syndrome
Commins SP, James HR, Kelly LA, Pochan SL, Workman LJ, Perzanowski MS, et al. The relevance of tick bites to the production of IgE antibodies to the mammalian oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011;127(5):1286-1293.e6.
Commins SP, Jerath MR, Cox K, Erickson LD, Platts-Mills T. Delayed anaphylaxis to alpha-gal, an oligosaccharide in mammalian meat. Allergol Int. 2016;65(1):16–20.
Crispell G, Commins SP, Archer-Hartman SA, Choudhary S, Dharmarajan G, Azadi P. Discovery of alpha-gal-containing antigens in North American tick species believed to induce red meat allergy. Front Immunol. 2019;10:1056.
Hashizume H, Fujiyama T, Umayahara T, Kageyama R, Walls AF, Satoh T. Repeated Amblyomma testudinarium tick bites are associated with increased galactose-α-1,3-galactose carbohydrate IgE antibody levels: A retrospective cohort study in a single institution. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018;78(6):1135-1141.e3.
Kersh GJ, Salzer J, Jones E, et al. Tick bite as a risk factor for alpha-gal-specific immunoglobulin E antibodies and development of alpha-gal syndrome. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2022;130(4):472-478.
Mitchell CL, Lin F-C, Vaughn M, Apperson CS, Meshnick SR, Commins SP. Association between lone star tick bites and increased alpha-gal sensitization: evidence from a prospective cohort of outdoor workers. Parasites Vectors. 2020;13(1):470.
Young I, Prematunge C, Pussegoda K, Corrin T, Waddell L. Tick exposures and alpha-gal syndrome: A systematic review of the evidence. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2021;12(3):101674.