Deerstalker develops red meat allergy
A CAITHNESS man well known for his love of bloodsports has become allergic to red meat.
When deerstalker Patrick Sinclair had an early morning nibble of lamb, it very nearly killed him.
Mr Sinclair, the brother of Lord Thurso, was bitten by a tick while out stalking some years ago.
He gradually noticed a curious aversion to meat was getting progressively worse and led to his eventual hospitalisation.
While many people will have heard of Lyme disease, a debilitating condition spread by ticks, very few will have heard of the tick-induced mammalian meat allergy.
With tick populations booming due to climate change, there are ever-increasing numbers of sufferers appearing. Those affected by the allergy will experience a delayed reaction of between two and 10 hours after eating red meat.
Though most cases are uneventful, some immune systems are sensitive to proteins in the parasite’s saliva and become intolerant of red meat. Tick bite-induced anaphylaxis – the most acute allergic reaction – can even result in death.
Mr Sinclair said: “What seems to be happening is that my body is mistaking meat sugars for something that is identified in tick saliva.
“It wasn’t until May that I realised exactly what the nature of my condition was when I read a scientific paper on the subject.
“I’d actually been having milder symptoms of the allergy from about 10
years ago but that was just in the form of itching. Over the years it’s
definitely worsened to the point it’s become truly life-threatening.”
He was rushed to hospital last September after suffering a severe reaction after eating lamb and had to receive a lifesaving injection.
Read full story in Friday's John O'Groat Journal.