WARNING: Tick Found In Minnesota Causes Meat Allergy
First, we had no toilet paper. Then jumping worms showed up in our news. Now we have a bug that if it bites you, you could end up becoming allergic to meat. Yes, red meat, like ribeyes! And this nasty little bug that sucks up your blood is confirmed to be in Minnesota.
The Lone Star Tick Is Confirmed to Be In Minnesota and Surrounding States
It is tick season in Minnesota and if you haven't been giving your body a good scan for ticks after you are outside, you should. Ticks are already on the prowl the the land of 10,000 lakes.
Unfortunately, one of the nasty ticks that could attach to you that has been spotted in Minnesota is called the Lone Star Tick. You can see from the Minnesota Department of Health map below that Olmsted, Winona, Houston, Wabasha, and several other counties in Minnesota have had sightings. And if you love meat, this is one tick you DO NOT want to attach to you because according to Wikipedia, it can cause someone to develop a meat allergy. Yes, say goodbye to eating that delicious ribeye.
What the Lone Star Tick looks like:
A Lone Star Tick is very small but stands out from the rest of the tick world because of the white dot on the back of the female. See photos of the Lone Star Tick at all stages on the Wikipedia page here.
More info about the meat allergy caused by the Lone Star Tick:
When someone is allergic to meat because of a bite by a Lone Star Tick, it might be hard to know right away because the reaction you'll have is about 3 to 6 hours after eating red meat. Other allergic reactions tend to happen almost immediately.
There is a lot of scientific words on Wikipedia about the reasons why people start to have a meat allergy after they are bit by a Lone Star Tick. I'm not smart enough to understand what they are talking about, but if you'd like to read it, you can find the page here.
What ticks can we find in Minnesota?
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the three ticks that are the most common in our state are the following:
- Deer Tick, which is also called the Blacklegged tick - causes the most tickborne illnesses in Minnesota.
- Wood Tick, which is also called the American dog tick - People are bit by these ticks the most but they rarely spread diseases. However, these could spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.
- Lone star tick - these aren't found as often in Minnesota but could spread ehrlichiosis and tularemia.
The Nastiest Bug in Minnesota - the Tick!
You can learn more about these little creatures in our state as well as tips on how to keep ticks away at the Minnesota Department of Health website.