©TickEncounter

One of the fastest-growing threats to outdoor workers is surprisingly small: ticks. Over the last few decades, tick populations have expanded broadly across much of the United States. Ticks can transmit many pathogens that cause Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, and other serious illnesses, and left untreated, symptoms can escalate and lead to significant health complications. …Clinicians and researchers have also seen a rise in a different type of tick-related condition that does not cause infection, but instead triggers an allergic response. This unique condition is known as alpha-gal syndrome. Alpha-gal syndrome, or AGS, is an allergy to galactose-ɑ-1,3-galactose, a sugar commonly known as alpha-gal that is found in all mammals except for humans and some primates. Within weeks or months following a tick bite, a person can develop a potentially life-threatening reaction to anything containing the alpha-gal sugar, including beef, pork, and other mammalian products.