Aerobiologia最新文献

Allergenic pollens produced by some tree species in urban parks, a part of the urban flora, cause pollinosis, allergic rhinitis, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and asthma. The allergenic pollen levels of four urban parks in Aydin (Turkey) were determined using the Index of Urban Green Zones Allergenicity (I_UGZA). The potential allergenicity value (PAV) of each species and the crown volume of each individual belonging to the species were used in the index calculation. According to their PAV values, tree species were classified as nil (0), low (1–6), moderate (8–12), high (16–24), and very high (27–36) allergenicity. The Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI) was used to calculate the parks’ biodiversity levels. Canonical correspondence analysis, one of the ordination methods, was used to identify the species distribution among the four parks and reveal the relationship between the SHDI, number of species, tree density, and I_UGZA. The ratio of allergenic tree species in the four parks examined varied between 97.90 and 100%. The PAV of 9 tree species, including the genus Cupressus in the Cupressaceae family, was determined as very high, while the PAV of 20 tress species, including the genus Prunus, was revealed to be low. While the park with the lowest I_UGZA value (0.17) was Aytepe Recreation Area, the park with the highest I_UGZA value (0.52) was Pinarbasi Recreation Area. The lowest Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI) value (0.70) was detected in Aytepe Recreation Area, whereas the highest value (2.90) was determined in Nevzat Bicer Park. There was no correlation between the I_UGZA value and species count, tree density, and SHDI variables. Ismet Sezgin Park and Pinarbasi Recreation Area pose a risk to human health at any time of the year. The results, which focused on allergenic flora, should be used to design new parks and revitalize existing ones.

Information on the allergenic pollen season provides insight on the state of the environment of a region and facilitates allergy symptom management. We present a retrospective analysis of the duration and severity of the allergenic pollen season and the role of meteorological factors in Istanbul, Turkey. Aerobiological sampling from January 2013 to June 2016, pollen identification and counting followed current standard methodology. Pollen seasons were defined according to 95% of the Annual Pollen Integral (APIn) and the season start date was compared with the first day of 5 day consecutive non-zero records. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were created to study the effect of meteorological factors on flowering. The main pollen contributors were taxa of temperate and Mediterranean climates, and neophytic Ambrosia. Cupressaceae, Poaceae, Pinaceae, Quercus and Ambrosia had the greatest relative abundance. The pollen season defined on 95% of the APIn was adequate for our location with total APIns around 10.000 pollen*day*m⁻³. Woody taxa had generally shorter seasons than herbaceous taxa. In trees, we see precipitation as the main limiting factor for assimilate production prior to anthesis. A severe tree pollen season in 2016 suggests intense synchronous flowering across taxa and populations triggered by favourable water supply in the preceding year. GAM models can explain the effect of weather on pollen concentrations during anthesis. Under the climatic conditions over the study period, temperature had a negative effect on spring flowering trees, and a positive one on summer flowering weeds. Humidity, atmospheric pressure and precipitation had a negative effect on weeds. Our findings contribute to environmental and allergological knowledge in southern Europe and Turkey with relevancy in the assessment of impacts of climate change and the management of allergic disease.

In recent years, monitoring of airborne bacteria and fungi concentrations has obtained increasing universal attraction not only for influences on ecological balance but also for evaluating their public health consequences. In this study, we aimed to investigate culturable airborne bacteria and fungi levels in different sites of Abadan, and their association with meteorological parameters and PM_2.5 levels. Abadan is one of the most industrialized cities in the southwest of Iran where over the current decade has experienced lots of dust storm episodes. In total, 400 air samples were collected in 6 months (autumn and winter) using a single-stage viable Andersen cascade impactor for sampling airborne bacteria and fungi and portable DustTrak Aerosol Monitor 8520 for measuring PM_2.5 concentrations and meteorological parameters. Microbial concentrations showed a significant difference between various sites over the study period with averages of 569.57 ± 312.64 and 482.73 ± 242.86 CFU/M³ for bacteria and fungi, respectively. The air temperature had a significant effect on the concentration of both airborne bacteria and fungi. A significant positive correlation between relative humidity and fungi but no correlation between relative humidity and bacteria concentrations were observed. The average airborne PM_2.5 concentrations of all sites among the study period was 93.24 ± 116.72 μg/m³. The atmospheric bacterial and fungal communities were strongly positively correlated with the ambient PM_2.5 level. The levels of airborne bacteria and fungi along with PM_2.5 in the air of the city were relatively higher than the recommended levels. Therefore, the best course of action is needed to control emission sources. Further studies are also needed to evaluate the clinical analysis of the health effects of exposure to these pollutants.

Fungal particles were observed on the pollen grains of ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) in air samples collected in Nyíregyháza, Hungary. Microscopical observations showed the colonization of pollen grains by different fungal taxa. Concentration data were correlated with meteorological factors, day of the year (DOY), PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and spore levels. Pollen grains infected by fungi became common at the end of the pollen season. These particles correlated positively with wind speed and airborne spores, but a negative correlation was found with temperature. Pollen grains were most frequently infected with Cladosporium spp., but other fungi, such as Alternaria, Aspergillus/Penicillium, and yeasts were also found. A source of infected pollen grains was proven to be the plants’ surface, where fungi colonized pollen grains, and subsequently, they were aerosolized by wind. Our results indicate that reaerosolization events can be identified by the closer examination of fungi found on pollen grains.

The special characteristics of heroic viticulture combine the geographical features of the territory where particular vineyards are located and the unique production methods used in making their wines reflected in their status as special protection zones. This work sets out the results of a 2 year project in which the impact of the main cryptogamic diseases affecting vines in the Ribeira Sacra designation of origin (northwest Spain) was studied. The incidence of such diseases was assessed to develop strategies for offsetting the high costs incurred by production and the adverse impact on the environment. For this purpose, an aerobiological study of the fungal propagules during the life cycle of the red Mencía variety was carried out. The spore concentrations were correlated with the phenology, climatic conditions and the application of anti-fungal treatments. The analysis shows that greater effectiveness can be achieved in the control of phytopathogenic fungi by means of better identification of the epidemiological development of the pathogen. The determination of the right moment for the application of phytosanitary products is also considered, as well as the correct and most effective doses, and alternative measures that do not involve the use of phytosanitary products. The study contributes to the sustainability of the crop area by seeking to integrate three fundamental dimensions: the societal context, the economy and the environment.

Exposure to bioaerosols causes infection, over-sensitivity, respiratory, and lung diseases. This study was conducted at Sanandaj wastewater treatment plant in three seasons of winter, spring and summer to investigate the type and density of bio-aerosols. Sampling was performed using a sampling pump with a discharge rate of 28.3 L/min at a height of 1.5 m above the ground; the samples were taken from five stations: treatment plant entrance, aeration tank, grit chamber, drying sludge bed and laboratory. At each sampling point, time, temperature, relative humidity (Soleimani et al.), wind speed and particulate matter were recorded. In order to identify the bacteria, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture-based methods were applied. It was also found that there was not a significant relationship between bacterial count and RH, wind direction, wind speed and temperature. Regarding fungi, the results showed that RH and wind direction and wind has a significant relationship with the concentration of fungi. The most predominant bacteria and fungi were as follows: Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae, Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Micrococcus, Enterococcus, Neisseria, Listeria, and Pseudomonas and Penicillium, Aspergillus flavus. The concentration of bacteria in the air was significantly correlated with < 4, < 5, < 7 and < 10 μm suspended particles. However, there was a correlation between particle number of 10 μm and fungi concentration in the air.

Birch is the most allergenic tree species in Northern and Central Europe. Airborne birch pollen concentrations are observed to be on the rise for several decades. Health hazard due to birch pollen grains (BPGs) can worsen due to particulate air pollution. The prevalence of the intimate mixture of BPGs with atmospheric particulate matter (APM) at the single pollen grain level is still unraveled. In this study, APM transfer mechanisms to birch catkins and BPGs prior to pollination were investigated at an urban-industrial and a peri-urban site in Northern France. The surface of catkins was heavily polluted with micrometer-sized particles. Conversely, BPGs were relatively unpolluted with on average 0.1 particle.BPG⁻¹. Differences in the chemical composition of adhered particles were observed as a function of the sampling sites. In contrast, no significant difference was found in terms of surface concentrations of APM adhered to BPGs and catkins between the two sites. Comparison of the number of particles deposited per pollen grain according to whether they were harvested from catkins or collected while airborne suggests that particulate pollution of pollen occurs preferentially after pollen shedding, either by impaction or coagulation mechanisms with other suspended APM or by pollen settling on dust-contaminated surfaces followed by resuspension.

The coffee leaf rust, Hemileia vastatrix, is the most destructive coffee-growing disease and the most important economically. More aggressive outbreaks of the disease were recently reported worldwide, including in Mexico, where coffee production showed a 40% decrease. This work aimed to determine the environmental conditions that favor release and air transport of the H. vastatrix urediniospores in coffee crops in Veracruz. The monitoring of airborne coffee leaf rust urediniospores was performed using three types of aerobiological traps at different heights: Hirst Spore Trap (HST, 1.5 m), Passive Spore Trap (PST 1.5, 3, 6, and 9 m), and Sedimentation Spore Sampler (SSS 1 m) from January 2014 to October 2015, in two plots in Veracruz, Mexico. The airborne urediniospores counts exhibited a bimodal distribution. Low concentrations that increase over time are evident from January to April, decreasing abruptly in May and June, only to rise again in August, reaching the highest record for airborne urediniospores during the mid-summer drought phenomenon. Dispersal of coffee rust urediniospores is mainly influenced by temperature, rain, wind, and humidity in leaves. They can reach heights in the air up to 9 m (above the canopy) in shade coffee crops. The dispersal of pathogens in the atmosphere comprises complex processes interconnected; their knowledge allows better comprehensive management of them.

We applied five sets of criteria for pollen season (PS) definition, which are associated with the ‘clinical’, ‘grains’, ‘logistic’, ‘moving average’ and ‘percentage’ methods, on a 30-year time series of daily airborne pollen concentration values of Cupressaceae (cypress family), Oleaceae (olive family) and Poaceae (grass family), from Thessaloniki, Greece. These methods could identify a pollen season for more than 90% of the study period for all three taxa, except for the clinical that identified less than 40% for Oleaceae. The estimated values of the PS start, end, and duration varied largely, in a method-specific way. Even significant reverse patterns of change were recorded for the same attribute and taxon, as for the Poaceae PS end date that shows a significant advance earlier in the year with the moving average method and delay with the percentage. As the season peak date is method-independent and, hence, directly comparable, we recommend this attribute to be examined in airborne pollen studies. Results taken with the percentage method could be compared with those of the past for Thessaloniki, with a more than 10-year shorter time series. No climate-related change was detected for Cupressaceae PS attributes, but an earlier peak was now detected for Oleaceae and Poaceae, and a later end and a longer duration for Poaceae, suggesting an increased allergy risk for this taxon. The different criteria concurrently applied for PS definition that led to even greatly diverging results for the same PS attribute is an issue for the science and calls for efforts at standardization.

In this work, the HYSPLIT model was used to reproduce birch pollen concentrations in Poland for the years 2015 and 2016, where there was significant variation in terms of pollen concentrations and start/end dates of the pollen season. The analysis of pollen observations showed that the seasonal pollen integral (SPIn) was low in 2015 with a shorter season compared to 2016. In 2016, SPIn was unusually high. The HYSPLIT model simulation, with a one-hour temporal resolution, was conducted during the birch pollen season (from March to May) for 2015 and 2016. Meteorological data were obtained from the WRF model. The birch coverage map of the European Forest Institute was used. The emission, introduced to the model, covered Central Europe with a resolution of 0.3° × 0.3°. The results were compared to data from 11 observation stations in Poland. The measured birch pollen concentrations for 2015 were overestimated by HYSPLIT at 8 of the 11 stations (normalized mean bias/NMB from 0.13 to 2.53) and underestimated for three stations (NMB from − 0.44 to − 0.15). For 2016, the model highly underestimated the pollen concentrations, with NMB ranging from − 0.45 to − 0.93. In general, the results show that the model can resolve the main peaks of pollen concentrations, which is a step forward in the application of the HYSPLIT model for birch pollen forecasting over Poland. We suggest the application of methods that can reduce the bias of temperature such as meteorological data assimilation or bias correction, which could improve calculation of the start of emissions and consequently the start of the pollen season as well as pollen concentrations.