PROFILING ALLERGENICITY ACROSS MAMMALIAN MEATS COMMONLY CONSUMED IN AUSTRALIA

PROFILING ALLERGENICITY ACROSS MAMMALIAN MEATS COMMONLY CONSUMED IN AUSTRALIA.

Hongkai Tan1,2, Danyi Jia1, Sheryl van Nunen2,3,4,5, N. Alice Lee1,2

1 The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; 2 National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE), Parkville, VIC, Australia; 3 The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 4 Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 5 TiARA (Tick-induced Allergies Research and  Awareness), Sydney, NSW, Australia.

In Australia, tick bites-largely from Ixodes holocyclus-have led to a rising prevalence of Mammalian Meat Allergy (MMA), a delayed reaction caused by IgE sensitisation to galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal). Clinical phenotypes in MMA are either gut-based or systemic reactions.

Avoidance of mammalian meat is critical for patient management, yet the α-Gal content and allergenic potential of different meat types commonly consumed in Australia have not been characterised to date. Skin prick testing has demonstrated variable reactivity to different mammalian meats among patients; however, the relationship between these differences and clinical outcomes remains unclear.