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Mites, ticks, anaphylaxis and allergy: The Acari hypothesis
Andrew C Retzinger1, Gregory S Retzinger2
1Department of Emergency Medicine, West Virginia University, Camden Clark Medical Center, Parkersburg, WV 26101 USA.
Medical Hypotheses
|December 1, 2020
Summary
Allergies, like anaphylaxis, may originate from an immune response to pathogen-bearing mites and ticks, not harmless substances. This suggests a new understanding of allergy mechanisms and potential treatments.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Allergy Pathogenesis
- Parasitology
Background:
- Anaphylaxis is an immune response involving Th2/IgE, activating against benign molecules.
- Clinical signs of anaphylaxis involve rapid pathophysiological reflexes targeting epithelial surfaces.
- The galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose hypersensitivity is a demonstrated model of anaphylaxis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose that allergy evolved not for harmless substances, but to eliminate pathogen-bearing Acari (mites and ticks).
- To investigate the galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose hypersensitivity as a model for understanding broader allergic inflammation.
- To mechanistically link acarian secretions and diet to the development of human allergies.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing knowledge on anaphylaxis and immune responses.
- Analysis of the galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose hypersensitivity model.
- Hypothesizing the role of tick sensitization and acarian adjuvant activity in allergy.
Main Results:
- Tick bites can sensitize individuals to tick-derived substances, serving as a model for anaphylaxis.
- Acarian gastrointestinal secretions exhibit adjuvant activity.
- The polyphagous diet of mites supports their role in allergy development.
Conclusions:
- Allergic inflammation may be an evolved mechanism to expel pathogen-bearing Acari from epithelial surfaces.
- Acari, specifically mites and ticks, are mechanistically implicated in the development of many human allergies.
- This perspective reframes allergy as a protective response against arthropod vectors rather than benign environmental factors.
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