Wednesday 13 August 2014

Link: Tick Bite Might Turn You Into a Vegetarian

Probably many of you have already seen this bit of news, but it's pretty cool. According to some research, there's evidence that Lone Star tick bites can cause people to become allergic to meat! When the tick takes a bite it injects a sugar called alpha-gal into the human host's bloodstream. The human begins to produce an antibody to alpha-gal which is activated when they eat red meat, pork, or dairy products. The Lone Star tick is found in the southern United States, so meat-loving Canadians need not be too alarmed. Maybe this tick was genetically engineered by mad vegetarian scientists in order to force the world to become vegetarian? I think I'll try to catch some and sell their bites as "motivators" for people with low will power who want to become vegetarian.

EDIT (courtesy of Sarah): The lone star tick is actually found throughout the eastern United States and has even been reported in Quebec! I stand corrected; Canadian meat-lovers should be alarmed. 


1 comment:

  1. The newest form of biological weapons, eh?
    Minor correction. The Lone Star Tick, Amblyomma americanum, can actually be found in Midwestern USA and as far north as Maine. They have also been reported within Quebec, though in much lower numbers compare to the Ixodes and Dermacentor species.

    Cheers,
    SL

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