Airborne pollen and fungal spores in Garki, Abuja (North-Central Nigeria)

Ezike, D.N.; Nnamani, Catherine Veronica; Ogundipe, O. T.; Adekanmbi, Olusola Helen

doi:10.1007/s10453-016-9443-5

Cited by 26 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Total pollen was found to correlate positively though not significant with current temperature and negatively with current monthly rainfall and humidity. The finding agrees with previous studies in Nigeria [24,25] who also found that airborne pollen concentration correlated positively with temperature and negatively with rainfall in the atmosphere of South-east and Northcentral Nigeria, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…On the contrary, total fungal spores count and most dominant spores correlated negatively, though not significantly, with temperature. In a similar study, the same association between fungal spores with rainfall, relative humidity and temperature in North-central Nigeria was obtained [25].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…In a similar work, persistent dominance of grass pollen was recorded in the atmosphere of South East Nigeria [24]. Poaceae pollen was also recorded in the atmosphere of Northcentral Nigeria from February-June 2016 [25]. The persistence presence of Poaceae pollen is related to the long pollen season of most species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…The recipient solutions were collected monthly for the period of six months. Samples were sieved through 100 µm mesh wire gauze to filter off large organic particles and centrifuged at 2500 revolution per minute for 5 minutes to recover the aerospore residues according to [25]. The residues were washed three times with distilled water and were acetolyzed in other to remove most of the tissues, organic debris, protein, lipids and carbohydrate from the surface of the pollen and spores [26].…”

Section: Materials and Methods Study Area And Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Weather variability in a decade and its current impact on airborne pollen and spores in Nsukka, Nigeria

2019

Adv. Environ. Biol

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INTRODUCTIONAllergic diseases are triggered or exacerbated by contact or inhalation of pollen, fungal spores, dust mites, insect debris, animal epithelial cells, and some foods and substances [1]. People are exposed throughout life to allergens directly (externally) or after they enter their bodies (by inhalation or ingestion) [2]. Of these, airborne pollen and spores are the most dominant, pervasive, respirable and potent sources of allergen present in the indoor and outdoor atmosphere [3,4].Pollen and spores allergen belong to Type One hypersensitivity [5]. Their proteins are immune modulatory substances, which play crucial roles in the sensitization and/or exacerbation of allergies such as seasonal allergic rhinitis, eczema/dermatitis, conjunctivitis, rhinoconjuctivitis, asthma, bronchial constriction and obstruction, pollinosis and aspergillosis [6]. It has been clearly demonstrated that exposure to indoor and outdoor airborne fungal spores, hyphal fragments or metabolites can cause a variety of respiratory diseases and also associated with poor control of asthma [7,8,9].In the 21 st Century, allergic disorders have become a health problem of global significance, affecting all ages and ethnic backgrounds [10]. For the past 40 years the prevalence of asthma has in general increased and is still increasing worldwide in parallel with other indices of allergy [11]. The increase in allergic disorders, such as allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma and atopic dermatitis covers up to 30 % of the world's population [12]. About 10-30 % of the world's population is affected by allergic rhinitis and more than 300 million are affected by asthma [13]. AbstractPollen and spores are propagules released from plants and fungi for the sole purpose of reproduction. Their abundance and constituent predispose them as major triggers of allergy. However, their dispersal and seasonality are determined by biological activities and their response to weather variability. Studies on weather variability in a decade and the impact of current weather on airborne pollen and spores in Nsukka (South-East Nigeria) were carried out. The aim of the study was to assess weather variability in a decade and relationship between present weather variables and airborne pollen and spores concentration in ambient atmosphere in the study area. Weather parameters were collected from the Meteorological Centre in the study area. Aero samples were collected monthly using a Tauber-like pollen sampler modified to sample 1.52 m above ground. Samples were sieved through100 µ mesh wire gauze to filter off large organic and soil particles. The liquid with suspended palynomorphs was centrifuged at 2500 revolutions per minute (rpm) for 5 mins and subjected to acetolysis in other to remove tissues and organic debris from surface of pollen and spores. Weather parameters chronicle profound weather variability in a decade in the region, which has led to the present shift in onset of rainy season, shift in peak periods of rain and off -season rain. Change in weather brought ...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Materials and Methods Study Area And Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Weather variability in a decade and its current impact on airborne pollen and spores in Nsukka, Nigeria

2019

Adv. Environ. Biol

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show abstract

“…For this reason, most outdoor airborne fungal spores originate from farms, forest stands and decomposing plant matter [45]. The marked incidence of these fungi and their impact on human health has been studied in different parts of the world [46][47][48][49]. Moulds are common aeroallergens, and Cladosporium is considered to be among the most prevalent [50].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%