Public Data Commons

Recent human studies provide evidence that humans with IgE sensitization to a novel oligosaccharide allergen present in mammalian meat (alpha-gal) have larger coronary artery plaques and unstable plaque features signifying increased coronary artery disease (CAD) compared to those without IgE to alpha-gal. Notably, there is overlap in the high prevalence of lone star ticks, alpha-gal IgE positivity, and atherosclerosis in the southeast region of the United States. Bites from the lone star tick induce IgE sensitization to alpha-gal. Affected individuals are clinically identified due to the presentation of severe allergic symptoms after ingestion of red meat, dairy, or other alpha-gal-containing foods. However, most individuals with IgE to alpha-gal do not manifest with delayed anaphylaxis and frequently have no outward identifying symptoms. As such, they continue to consume alpha-gal-containing food products (meat, dairy, etc.) which have the capacity to continue to stimulate IgE responses and inflammation in the vessel wall. The novel identification of the first potential allergen eliciting IgE responses linked to atherosclerosis holds promise for leading to strategies to identify and intervene in individuals at risk with allergen avoidance or other immunomodulatory approaches. Thus, there is a critical unmet clinical need to determine if alpha-gal IgE sensitization does indeed promote atherosclerotic plaque formation, discover cellular events that could serve to identify those at risk, and identify potential mechanisms which could lead to biomarker discovery and approaches to limit this silent inflammation. This research project will interrogate human immune cell phenotypes in skin and circulation in CAD patients following a natural tick bite to determine how these phenotypes associate with IgE to alpha-gal. This collaborative team-based project leverages the expertise of Dr. Loren Erickson (Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology), Dr. Jeffrey Wilson (Department of Medicine, Allergy Division), and Dr. Richard Flowers (Department of Dermatology).