No. Prions are misfolded proteins - they replicate by inducing correctly folded proteins to misfold when they come in contact. As a result, misfolded proteins b

No. Prions are misfolded proteins - they replicate by inducing correctly folded proteins to misfold when they come in contact. As a result, misfolded proteins build up in the brain, continually inducing even more proteins to misfold, eventually building up to a critical mass and causing neurons to die. By contrast, alpha-gal seems to trigger an immune response, which induces the immune system to create antibodies against it. It seems that something in red meat is similar enough to alpha-gal that it also triggers this new immune response, causing an allergy. But it doesn't cause a build up of alpha-gal in the body over time.