Dietitians at the University of Kentucky have published one of the first nutrition guides for those with alpha gal syndrome.

AGS is a unique food allergy spread, most commonly by Lone Star ticks, a highly prevalent tick species in Kentucky.

In fact, Muhlenberg County in western Kentucky has the second highest number of cases of AGS in the nation, according to UK.

In tonight's look at medical news, our Mackenzie Spink tells us more about the new resource available to people navigating nutrition with Alpha Gal syndrome.

Alpha gal is shorthand for galactose alpha one three galactose, a carbohydrate present in the meat of most mammals.

When bitten by a tick, some people develop a sensitivity to alpha gal, often resulting in hives and swelling in the throat.

After being bitten, there are some people who become sensitized to AlphaGo so that carbohydrate and those individuals may end up having an allergic response when they eat foods that contain that carbohydrate.

And what that ends up being are things that are come from mammals.

So beef, pork, deer, even to some extent dairy.

So your cheese, your sour cream, your milk.

While many people know alpha gal syndrome as a red meat allergy, alpha gal can be present in less obvious food groups as well, making nutrition complicated for those with eggs.

There is a type of seaweed called carrageenan that can cause a reaction, and unfortunately, carrageenan is used as a food additive in a lot of different foods.

So someone may not be able to consume dairy.

So they go to something like almond milk or soy milk.

But unfortunately, depending on the brand, it can have that carrageenan in it.

So they may actually react to that.

The nutrition focused guide, published by the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, is aimed towards dietitians treating patients with eggs.

We are one of the professions that's on the front lines of outbreak, our syndrome, and so we wanted those dietitians to have a general protocol or a general idea of how to treat someone who may have alpha gal syndrome.

Eggs can affect individuals differently.

Less sensitive patients may be able to eat dairy products or other additives.

Doctor pace says AGS patients should have a tailored nutrition plan, and the guide includes a tiered approach to food elimination.

We were hoping to educate dietitians that we don't have to eliminate everything with Alpha gal, and so then they can take that information and pass it along to their patients and make it personalized.

So that's really important.

Alpha gal syndrome treatment needs to be personalized to an individual, and dietitians have the capacity and have the knowledge and education to do that.

Doctor pace highly encourages his patients to work with a dietitian not only to partner on a nutrition plan, but also for guidance on non-food factors that can affect alpha gal syndrome.

They also have knowledge of things like co-factors, such as exercise or instead, which is medication like ibuprofen.

And alcohol that can actually increase the severity or the timing of a reaction.

They can also help with navigating label reading on foods.

So like I said, there are some food additives with that contain alpha gal and that can get quite complicated.

Kentucky's tick season is currently at its peak, according to U.K.

farmers, forestry workers, landscapers and other individuals who spend a lot of time outdoors are at an increased risk of alpha gal syndrome.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Mackenzie Spink.

For information on tick prevention, you can visit the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife s website at WKYC.

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