F. J. Rodríguez-Rajo

Pollen content in the atmosphere of Lugo (NW Spain) with reference to meteorological factors (1999–2001)

This study shows the results of monitoring thepollen present in the atmosphere of the city ofLugo for three years (1999–2001) using a Hirstvolumetric trap (model Lanzoni VPPS-2000).During the three-year study, 61,381 pollengrains were counted. Poaceae represents 39.5%of the total pollen identified, Pinus12.3%, Quercus 8.7% and Betula8.4%. More than half of the total annualpollen was recorded in June and July. Itscorrelation was positive with temperature,hours of sun and wind speed, and negative withrainfall and relative humidity. The maximumvalues were recorded between 11 am and 8 pm,coinciding with the highest temperatures andlowest relative humidity.

Cladosporium airborne spore incidence in the environmental quality of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract Cladosporium spores are ubiquitous in the air and are included in the fungal contaminants that define environmental quality. This paper provides an updated review of their concentration in the Iberian Peninsula, based on data from 12 sampling stations collected using a common non-viable volumetric sampling method and the same subsequent data-treatment techniques. The database comprised 84 annual periods, covering the period 1993–2009. Mean annual total spore concentrations for each station, calculated as the sum of daily concentrations, ranged from 54 459 in Cartagena to 933 485 in Sevilla; other sampling stations recorded annual total spores between 93 052 (Porto) and 579 953 (Mérida). Analysis of annual spore-distribution patterns revealed either one or two peaks (spring and fall) depending on the location and prevailing climate of the area where the sampling stations have been placed. For all stations, average temperature was the meteorological parameter displaying the strongest positive correlation with airborne spore concentrations.

Oleaceae cross-reactions as potential pollinosis cause in urban areas

It is worth noting the allergological problems induced by a not accurate design of the ornamental vegetation in the parks and streets of the cities. Usually, in the Oleaceae family, only the olive pollen is considered an important aeroallergen but other species of the family could be an important source of airborne pollen allergens. Pollen from Fraxinus, Olea and Ligustrum and its main aeroallergens were sampled in the atmosphere of an urban area in North-Western Spain during 2011. The allergen bioaerosol content was quantified by using specific 2-site ELISA and Ole e 1 antibodies. The Fra e 1 and Lig v 1 allergens were detected by means Ole e 1 antibodies. This fact demonstrates the cross-reactivity between the main allergens of Fraxinus, Olea and Ligustrum, plants widely species used as ornamental in the cities. Therefore, the urban allergenic people sensitized to Olea pollen could present allergenic reactions during the winter (due to ash pollen allergens), the spring (caused by olive pollen allergens) and the early summer (triggered by the privet flowering). As a consequence, sensitivity to the pollen of one species may favour development of sensitivity to all three species as consequence of the priming effect. The combination of pollen count and the allergen quantification must be assessed in the epidemiologic study of allergic respiratory diseases.

Pla a_1 aeroallergen immunodetection related to the airborne Platanus pollen content

Platanus hispanica pollen is considered an important source of aeroallergens in many Southern European cities. This tree is frequently used in urban green spaces as ornamental specie. The flowering period is greatly influenced by the meteorological conditions, which directly affect its allergenic load in the atmosphere. The purpose of this study is to develop equations to predict the Platanus allergy risk periods as a function of the airborne pollen, the allergen concentration and the main meteorological parameters. The study was conducted by means two volumetric pollen samplers; a Lanzoni VPPS 2000 for the Platanus pollen sampling and a Burkard multivial Cyclone Sampler to collect the aeroallergen particles (Pla a_1). In addiction the Dot-Blot and the Raman spectroscopy methods were used to corroborate the results. The Pla a_1 protein is recorded in the atmosphere after the presence of the Platanus pollen, which extend the Platanus pollen allergy risk periods. The Platanus pollen and the Pla a 1 allergens concentration are associated with statistical significant variations of some meteorological variables: in a positive way with the mean and maximum temperature whereas the sign of the correlation coefficient is negative with the relative humidity. The lineal regression equation elaborated in order to forecast the Platanus pollen content in the air explain the 64.5% of variance of the pollen presence in the environment, whereas the lineal regression equation elaborated in order to forecast the aeroallergen a 54.1% of the Pla a_1 presence variance. The combination of pollen count and the allergen quantification must be assessed in the epidemiologic study of allergic respiratory diseases to prevent the allergy risk periods.

Study of airborne fungus spores by viable and non-viable methods in Havana, Cuba

Abstract The Havana aeromycobiota diversity was studied from November 2010 to October 2011 using two complementary volumetric methods. A total of 35 fungal genera were characterised, 26 of them were recognised only by non-viable methods, six with viable methodology and the other three with both sampling methods. Furthermore, 47 species were identified by cultivation and the spores collected with the non-viable methodology. These could not be included in a specific genus, and thus, were categorised into five fungal types. In general, the main, spread worldwide, mitosporic fungi also predominated the Havana atmosphere. The predominant species were Cladosporium cladosporioides, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium citrinum. Moreover, several Zygomycetes (Syncephalastrum racemosum, Rhizopus stolonifer and Rhizopus oryzae), Ascomycetes (Chaetomium globosum) and Basidiomycetes such as Coprinus or Ganoderma were isolated. In the present paper, the review of the airborne fungi conducted in previous studies in Cuba was completed by the detection of two new genera and the first isolation of ten new records in the Cuban atmosphere. Most of the fungi detected showed a diurnal pattern with high spore peak at 11.00–12.00.

Airborne castanea pollen forecasting model for ecological and allergological implementation.

Castanea sativa Miller belongs to the natural vegetation of many European deciduous forests prompting impacts in the forestry, ecology, allergological and chestnut food industry fields. The study of the Castanea flowering represents an important tool for evaluating the ecological conservation of North-Western Spain woodland and the possible changes in the chestnut distribution due to recent climatic change. The Castanea pollen production and dispersal capacity may cause hypersensitivity reactions in the sensitive human population due to the relationship between patients with chestnut pollen allergy and a potential cross reactivity risk with other pollens or plant foods. In addition to Castanea pollens importance as a pollinosis agent, its study is also essential in North-Western Spain due to the economic impact of the industry around the chestnut tree cultivation and its beekeeping interest. The aim of this research is to develop an Artificial Neural Networks for predict the Castanea pollen concentration in the atmosphere of the North-West Spain area by means a 20years data set. It was detected an increasing trend of the total annual Castanea pollen concentrations in the atmosphere during the study period. The Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) implemented in this study show a great ability to predict Castanea pollen concentration one, two and three days ahead. The model to predict the Castanea pollen concentration one day ahead shows a high linear correlation coefficient of 0.784 (individual ANN) and 0.738 (multiple ANN). The results obtained improved those obtained by the classical methodology used to predict the airborne pollen concentrations such as time series analysis or other models based on the correlation of pollen levels with meteorological variables.

Fraxinus pollen and allergen concentrations in Ourense (South-western Europe)

In temperate zones of North-Central Europe the sensitization to ash pollen is a recognized problem, also extended to the Northern areas of the Mediterranean basin. Some observations in Switzerland suggest that ash pollen season could be as important as birch pollen period. The allergenic significance of this pollen has been poorly studied in Southern Europe as the amounts of ash pollen are low. Due to the high degree of family relationship with the olive pollen major allergen (backed by a sequence identity of 88%), the Fraxinus pollen could be a significant cause of early respiratory allergy in sensitized people to olive pollen as consequence of cross-reactivity processes. Ash tree flowers in the Northwestern Spain during the winter months. The atmospheric presence of Ole e 1-like proteins (which could be related with the Fra a 1 presence) can be accurately detected using Ole e 1 antibodies. The correlation analysis showed high Spearman correlation coefficients between pollen content and rainfall (R(2)=-0.333, p<0.01) or allergen concentration and maximum temperature (R(2)=-0.271, p<0.01). In addiction CCA analysis showed not significant differences (p<0.05) between the component 1 and 2 variables. PCFA analysis plots showed that the allergen concentrations are related to the presence of the Fraxinus pollen in the air, facilitating the wind speed its submicronic allergen proteins dispersion. In order to forecast the Fraxinus allergy risk periods, two regression equations were developed with Adjusted R(2) values around 0.48-0.49. The t-test for dependent samples shows no significant differences between the observed data and the estimated by the equations. The combination of the airborne pollen content and the allergen quantification must be assessed in the epidemiologic study of allergic respiratory diseases.

Prediction of grape production by grapevine cultivar Godello in north-west Spain

SUMMARY Advance knowledge of potential grape production is of great value for harvest and post-harvest planning, in that it enables the winery to estimate requirements in terms of crop insurance and grapepicking workforce, and to optimize post-harvest processes. An aerobiological and phenological study of the Godello grape variety was carried out at a vineyard belonging to the Ribeiro Designation of Origin (Ourense, Spain) from 2004 to 2009. Aerobiological data were obtained using a Lanzoni VPPS-2000 volumetric trap placed inside the vineyard, while phenological observations were conducted on 20 selected vines, using the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt and chemical industry(BBCH) standardized scale. Pollen production per anther and per grapevine was studied during the flowering stage, and airborne Vitis pollen counts were recorded. This information was used to develop a model for predicting local grape production. The equation obtained accounted for 0·99 of harvest variability, thus enabling accurate prediction of grape production 1-month in advance.

New findings of airborne fungal spores in the atmosphere of Havana, Cuba, using aerobiological non-viable methodology

INTRODUCTION Although airborne fungal diversity in tropical countries is known to be considerable, aerobiological research to-date has identified only a part of the fungal mycobiota that may have an impact both on human health and on crops. Previous studies in Havana city identified only 30 genera and 5 spore types; therefore,new research is required in these latitudes. This study sought to investigate airborne spore levels in Havana, with a view to learning more about local fungal diversity and assessing its influence in quantitative terms. MATERIAL AND METHODS A Hirst type volumetric sampler was located on the rooftop of a building 35 meters above ground level, in a busy area of the city. Sampling was carried out continuously (operating 24hours/day), at 10 L per minute during the year 2015. The fungal spores were collected on a Melinex tape coated with a 2% silicone solution. The results were expressed as spores per cubic meter (spores/m3) of air when to referring to daily values, and spores count if referring to annual value. RESULTS Fourteen new genera were identified in the course of volumetric sampling: six produce ascospores and eight conidia. Morphobiometric characteristics were noted for all genera, and airborne concentrations were calculated. These genera accounted for 56.4% of relative fungal frequency over the study year. CONCLUSIONS Many airbone fungi are primary causes of both respiratory disease and crop damage. These new findings constitute a major contribution to Cubas aerobiological database.