<i>Trisetum paniceum</i> (Wild Oats) Pollen Counts and Aeroallergens in the Ambient Air of Madrid, Spain

Abstract

Background: Madrid has a short but intensive grass pollen season, in which 79% of the total grass pollen load is released from the middle of May to the middle of June. The main objectives of this study were to quantify Trisetum paniceum (wild oats) aeroallergen in the atmosphere in Madrid from February to December 1996 and to correlate the aeroallergen concentrations with grass pollen counts. Methods: Two different samplers were used to assess allergen exposure; a Burkard spore trap was used to collect pollen grains and a high-volume air sampler to collect airborne particles. A total of 182 air filters were collected and extracted in 1 ml of PBS and analysed by ELISA inhibition, using pooled sera from highly allergic individuals. Results:T. paniceum aeroallergens were detected not only during the grass pollen season, but also before and after. Wild oat allergens had two main peaks of 1 and 1.9 µg/m³, occurring in late May and July, respectively. The time series analysis established the existence of lags between the two main variables pollen counts and aeroallergen activity. Analysis of the data by the Spearman rank test and linear regression showed a weak correlation between grass allergenic activity and grass pollen counts (Spearman’s rho = 0.29). Data obtained from time series analysis demonstrated that grass allergenic activity correlated strongly with current and 5-week-old grass pollen grain counts (r² = 0.73). Conclusions: Wild oats allergenic activity was detected during the entire year and not only during the pollen season. This fact is an important aspect to be considered in the clinical follow-up and treatment of grass pollen-sensitised patients in Madrid.

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

“…In 2007, airborne Lol p 1 allergens showed a similar dynamic to that described in previous years. However, as suggested by Spieksma et al [9,32], Schäppi et al [33], Spieksma and Nikkels [34] and Cabrera et al [35], our results confirm that pollen and allergenic activity have parallel dynamics during the period of maximum pollination, as reflected in the positive correlations for the 2 variables (table 3). The high values of airborne allergen obtained are similar to those obtained by the other authors with peak values reaching 13,000 ng [12,31,36].…”

Differences in atmospheric emissions of Poaceae pollen and Lol p 1 allergen

“…However, during the month of April, prominent Lol p 1 peaks occurred in León on dates when almost no pollen was present in the atmosphere (Fernández-González et al 2008;Rodríguez Rajo et al 2010). Similar results were reported by Cabrera et al (2002) who detected significant concentrations of allergens from Trisetum paniceum pollen in periods before and after the main grass pollination. Moreover, these periods of lower pollen concentration recorded in Ourense and Leon, when only some self-fertilizing species of Poa genus were found, were accompanied by an intense metabolic activity oriented to the growth of other grass species.…”

The combination of airborne pollen and allergen quantification to reliably assess the real pollinosis risk in different bioclimatic areas

“…In general, allergen peaks are previous to the presence of pollen in the atmosphere (Cabrera et al 2002). Some authors argue that rain episodes some days before this, result in an increase in small airborne antigenic fractions because the pollen deposited on various surfaces releases its proteins when wetted and, after drying, this material may become airborne again Moreno-Grau et al 2006).…”