What Ticks Are Increasing In Northern California And How Can They Cause A Food Allergy?

REDWOOD CITY-WOODSIDE, CA — Researchers will begin a new study Friday to collect certain ticks after a 2018 report discovered a species in a Northern California town carrying a syndrome causing a food allergy and carrying disease, authorities said.

The Bay Area Lyme Foundation and UC Davis researchers will be dragging large white flags through vegetation at 11 a.m. Friday in Portola Valley as part of a new study to determine why Lone Star ticks are increasing in the Bay Area, according to Linda Giampa, The Bay Area Lyme Foundation executive director.

Lone Star ticks can transmit Alpha-gal syndrome, which is a tick-born allergy to red meat. Lone Star ticks also carry the bacterial infection Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and symptoms will affect those bitten much faster than Lyme disease, Giampa said.

These ticks differ from the typical ones that are found in the Bay Area such as the western black-legged tick, which carries Lyme disease, according to Giampa.

In 2018, a Bay Area Lyme Foundation study found Lone star ticks in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

According to Giampa, if someone finds a Lone Star tick attached to them or a pet they should immediately contact their healthcare provider.

With the decrease in rain, ticks are coming out and locals should be vigilant with prevention, according to a press release.