May General Meeting

At our next meeting, we'll hear from Dr. Alex Grofton, the Senior Research Scientist and Team Leader (Disease Interventions) at CSIRO Health & Biosecurity. His research focuses on vector-borne diseases of public health significance, with a particular emphasis on tick-transmitted conditions and their impacts on human health.

Mammalian meat allergy (MMA), also known as alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), is one of the few known food allergies triggered by an environmental exposure rather than direct contact with the allergen itself. In Australia, sensitisation occurs following the bite of the paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, which introduces alpha-gal, a sugar molecule found in mammalian tissues, into the bloodstream. This talk will draw on data from Australia's national MMA surveillance programme to examine the geographic distribution and burden of the condition, the clinical spectrum of disease, and what current evidence tells us about the underlying immunological mechanisms. Dr Gofton will also outline priorities for future research and the public health implications of an allergy that remains significantly under-diagnosed across the country.

Visitors welcome! This seminar will also be available virtually. A link will be sent out to members prior to the meeting. If you are not a member, but wish to attend virtually, please contact the secretary (entsocqld.secretary@gmail.com) for the link.