Alpha gal syndrome – A rare case report in South India

A 31-year-old female presented with complaints of itching with previous history of 5-6 anaphylactic reactions since last one month. Her symptoms were preceded (3-6 hours) with intake of red meat. She suffered one tick bite (probably a lone star tick) one month before the allergic episodes. Laboratory tests showed elevated serum IgE levels. She was suspected to suffer from Alpha gal syndrome. It is a disease causally linked to bites from ticks. Although cases of alpha-gal allergy have already been reported in a few European countries, to our best knowledge, no cases have been reported so far in South India. She was managed with steroids and dietary restrictions.