Airborne Study of Grass Allergen (Lol p 1) in Different-Sized Particles

Abstract

Background: The Poaceae family is considered one of the main causes of pollen allergy in industrialized countries. The aim of this study is to establish the dynamics of the Poaceae allergens and determine their distribution in the different-sized particles in the atmosphere. Methods: The air of Granada (southern Spain) was sampled during the pollination period of Poaceae using a cascade impactor and a Hirst-type volumetric collector simultaneously. The sampled airborne allergens were analyzed by indirect ELISA and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Airborne pollen was evaluated with the Spanish Aerobiological Network methodology. Results:Poaceae pollen and allergenic activity have parallel dynamics during the period of maximum pollination, which is reflected in the positive correlations between the 2 variables. In addition, the highest Lol p 1 concentrations were recorded in particle sizes lower than 3.3 µm (stage 4-F). The Spearman correlation test showed that airborne allergens are not dependent on meteorological factors, such as humidity, wind direction or sunshine, however, Lol p 1 allergen correlated positively with Poaceae pollen. Conclusions: The results of the present study confirm that the Lol p 1 allergen is detected more frequently with pollutants than with coarse particles with similar dynamics and a positive correlation between airborne pollen and aeroallergens. Moreover, Lol p 1 is released in stable weather conditions without large changes in humidity or temperature.

Pollensomes as Natural Vehicles for Pollen Allergens

“…In support, De Linares et al (11) revealed that allergenic activity of Ole e 1 in the atmosphere primarily involves paucimicronic particles. The release of paucimicronic and submicronic particles containing allergens into the atmospheric aerosol has been described for other pollen species including grasses, weeds, and trees (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)12). These particles include mainly starch granules, polysaccharide particles, and other subpollen particles that are scarce or absent in olive pollen (13).…”

“…Several works have reported that allergen liberation from pollen grains occurs in two different compartments: first, outside the individual organism when pollen grains are spreading through the atmosphere; and second, on the mucosal surface of the upper respiratory tract after inhaling pollen. Previous studies have shown that the air, in addition to carrying airborne pollens, contains allergenic pollen-derived submicronic (,10 mm) and paucimicronic (,1 mm) particles that can reach the lower airways, eliciting allergic symptoms in susceptible subjects (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). These particles are mainly composed of starch granules and polysaccharide particles, structures that are scarce or absent in mature olive pollen (13).…”

A trans-disciplinary overview of case reports of thunderstorm-related asthma outbreaks and relapse

“…In addition, real-time data on both weather forecasting and pollination are not available in many countries at present. Finally, despite the increasing amount of data about allergen content of ambient air published in recent years [34,35], to date, pollens or mould allergens have never been quantified during a thunderstorm. Hopefully, availability of pollen allergen count on a daily basis, as is planned in the frame of the European HIALINE project (www.hialine.eu), could provide conclusive data on the actual changes in the allergenic load of the air during such an extreme precipitative event.…”

Release of Bet v 1 from birch pollen from 5 European countries. Results from the HIALINE study

“…However, humans react to the allergen and the concentration of airborne pollen (the pollen count) is a proxy of exposure. Indeed, several investigations imply that the pollen count might not be representative for allergen exposure, also because allergen was found in non-pollen bearing fractions of ambient air (Schäppi et al, 1997b;De Linares et al, 2010;Fernandez-Gonzalez et al, 2011).…”