Galactose-α-1,3-galactose allergy: a rare syndrome and an atypical presentation

Allergies to red meat associated with galactose-α-1,3-galactose, commonly known as α-gal, are rare and have only recently been described. At this time, the literature reports only one case documented in Portugal. In this study, we report the case of a 76-year-old male with an immediate reaction following the ingestion of red meat. Rigorous diagnostic exams, including prick test, prick-to-prick tests, serum specific IgE and SDS-PAGE IgE-immunoblotting, were performed. The α-gal epitope IgE re-turned a value of 35.3 kUA/L, leading the authors to believe that this is an atypical case of α-gal allergy.