Alpha-gal syndrome

To the Editor:Meat is an important source of protein and could be roughly classied into red and white meat.White meat,which encompasses poultry,seafood such assh and shrimp,and reptiles,etc.,is characterized by its pale color when uncooked.Red meat is basically mammalian meat,including domestic animal meats,such as pork,beef,lamb,and wild animal meat in certain regions,such as kangaroos,seals,and whales.Uncooked mammalian meat appears red due to the presence of myoglobin in skeletal muscles.The clinical presentations of mammalian meat allergy comprise two types of allergic reactions,immediatetype and delayed-type,although both are mediated by immunoglobulin E(IgE).The immediate-type hypersensitivity manifests as allergic symptoms occurring shortly after ingestion of red meat and is primarily triggered by serum albumin and immunoglobulin which are the major allergenic components.This is the classic pattern of food allergy.The delayed-type hypersensitivity is characterized by delayed onset of allergic symptoms 2-6 h after red meat ingestion and is mediated by oligosaccharideα-gal-specic IgE which is a recently discoveried pattern of food allergy.