Vector-borne infectious diseases (12)Sirtuins and Resveratrol in Medicine (4)Reproductive Physiology in Livestock (3)Heat shock proteins research (3)Insect and Pesticide Research (3)
Arthropod-induced allergic diseases are increasingly recognized as a major global health challenge in the Anthropocene. Climate change, urbanization, and ecological disruption are expanding human exposure to allergenic arthropods, including hematophagous ticks and synanthropic mites, thereby intensifying allergic sensitization and disease burden. In this review, we examine how arthropod-derived molecules disrupt epithelial barrier integrity, activate innate immune pathways, and promote type 2 immune polarization and IgE-mediated sensitization, exemplified by alpha-gal syndrome. We further integrate the epithelial barrier hypothesis with advances in component-resolved diagnostics, AI-assisted precision medicine, and One Health surveillance approaches to provide a systems-level perspective on arthropod allergy. Finally, we highlight emerging translational challenges and future directions for prediction, prevention, and personalized management of arthropod-associated allergic diseases in a rapidly changing environment.
Guo RR, Lageveen-Kammeijer GSM, Wang W, Dalebout H, Zhang W, et al.
Journal of agricultural and food chemistry •
Severe allergic reactions to certain types of meat following tick bites have been reported in geographic regions which are endemic with ticks. This immune response is directed to a carbohydrate antigen (galactose-α-1,3-galactose or α-Gal), which is present in glycoproteins of mammalian meats. At the moment, asparagine-linked complex carbohydrates (-glycans) with α-Gal motifs in meat glycoproteins and in which cell types or tissue morphologies these α-Gal moieties are present in mammalian meats are still unclear. In this study, we analyzed α-Gal-containing -glycans in beef, mutton, and pork tenderloin and provided for the first time the spatial distribution of these types of -glycans in various meat samples. Terminal α-Gal-modified -glycans were found to be highly abundant in all analyzed samples (55, 45, and 36% of -glycome in beef, mutton, and pork, respectively). Visualizations of the -glycans with α-Gal modification revealed that this motif was mainly present in the fibroconnective tissue. To conclude, this study contributes to a better understanding of the glycosylation biology of meat samples and provides guidance for processed meat products, in which only meat fibers are required as an ingredient (i.e., sausages or canned meat).