José de la Fuente, Iván Pacheco, Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz, Margarita Villar, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University [Stillwater], Biologie moléculaire et immunologie parasitaires et fongiques (BIPAR), Laboratoire de santé animale, sites de Maisons-Alfort et de Dozulé, Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort (ENVA)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12), Consejeria de Educacion, Cultura y Deportes, JCCM, Spain [CCM17-PIC-036 (SBPLY/17/180501/000185)], University of Castilla La Mancha, Spain, de la Fuente, Jos, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha = University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Oklahoma State University [Stillwater] (OSU), École nationale vétérinaire - Alfort (ENVA)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Laboratoire de santé animale, sites de Maisons-Alfort et de Dozulé, and Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)
This primer focuses on a recently diagnosed tick-borne allergic disease known as the alpha-Gal syndrome (AGS). Tick bites induce in humans high levels of IgE antibodies against the carbohydrate Galα1-3Galβ1-(3)4GlcNAc-R (α-Gal) present on tick salivary glycoproteins and tissues of non-catarrhine mammals, leading to the AGS in some individuals. This immune response evolved as a conflict and cooperation between ticks and human hosts including their gut microbiota. The conflict is characterized by the AGS that mediate delayed anaphylaxis to red meat consumption and certain drugs such as cetuximab, and immediate anaphylaxis to tick bites. The cooperation is supported by the capacity of anti-α-Gal IgM and IgG antibody response to protect against pathogens with α-Gal on their surface. Despite the growing diagnosis of AGS in all world continents, many questions remain to be elucidated on the tick proteins and immune mechanisms triggering this syndrome, and the protective response against pathogen infection elicited by anti-α-Gal antibodies. The answer to these questions will provide information for the evaluation of risks, diagnosis and prevention of the AGS, and the possibility of using the carbohydrate α-Gal to develop vaccines for the control of major infectious diseases., The preparation of this manuscript was partially supported by the Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes, JCCM, Spain, project CCM17-PIC-036 (SBPLY/17/180501/000185). MV was supported by the University of Castilla La Mancha, Spain.