Threshold values of grass pollen (Poaceae) concentrations and increase in emergency department visits, hospital admissions, drug consumption and allergic symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis: a systematic review
AbstractAirborne grass (Poaceae) pollen measurements are used in public warning systems to inform people about the risk of allergic symptoms. However, there is no consensus about which exact thresholds of pollen concentrations provoke the allergic symptoms. The aim of this study was to review the relevant scientific information on the relationship between grass pollen concentrations and the occurrence of emergency department (ED) visits, hospital admissions (HA), drug consumption and allergic symptoms. Literature search was conducted by experts ’ consultation and snowball strategy. Studies meeting the criteria for inclus...
Source: Aerobiologia - July 19, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Danger of exposure to keratinophilic fungi and other dermatophytes in recreational place in the northeast region of India
This study indicates first time that this Loktak Lake is a significant reservoir of keratinophilic fungi which can pose a health risk to its users, particularly the tourists and the employees. The keratinolytic activity of these fungi is crucial to cause superficial infections in human and anima ls, and recycling of keratinic material of this atmosphere. (Source: Aerobiologia)
Source: Aerobiologia - July 12, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Antibiotic resistance and biofilm synthesis genes in airborne Staphylococcus in commercial aircraft cabins
AbstractPassenger air transport is one of the main routes for the global spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. This may be due to airborne pathogen transmission, which may occur within the commercial aircraft cabin. Because of this, we performed an investigation of aerial contamination byStaphylococcus species in 166 commercial aircraft and analyzed the presence of antibiotic resistance and biofilm synthesis genes in the collected isolates. Bacterial identification was performed by using species-specific primers and partial sequencing of 16S rRNA andtuf genes. The antibiotic resistance genes screened were:mecA,mecC,blaZ,...
Source: Aerobiologia - July 5, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Seasonal variation and size distribution in the airborne indoor microbial concentration of residential houses in Delhi and its impact on health
AbstractExposure of microbial agents in the air of indoor dwellings is associated with effects on respiratory and general health. The current study was conducted in the urban area of Delhi Metropolis for the seasonal quantitative assessment of viable microbial indoor air quality. Bioaerosol measurement was conducted by using Anderson six stage impactor with cut-off diameters of 7.0, 4.7, 3.3, 2.1, 1.1, and 0.65 µm) throughout the all the seasons (April 2019 to March 2020). Meteorological parameters such as temperature and relative humidity were measured to check their effect on microbial survival. Air quality index data...
Source: Aerobiologia - July 3, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Spline interpolation as a way of mapping pollen emission sources
AbstractThe article develops a new method of spatiotemporal modelling of possible locations of ragweed areas and estimation of pollen emission intensity of these areas. The method uses spline approximation with automatic computations of typical pollen production models in the R language. It applies a number of approaches eliminating the uncertainty of various parameters that should be taken into consideration for this modelling. The authors have consolidated some experimental data on the amount ofAmbrosia pollen in the air depending on environmental conditions, and found some new possible ragweed pollen sources on the terr...
Source: Aerobiologia - June 24, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Trends in pollen season characteristics of Alnus, Poaceae and Artemisia allergenic taxa in Bratislava, central Europe
This study aimed to analyse the changes in the intensity, timing, and duration of pollen seasons of three allergological important plant taxa (Alnus, Poaceae,Artemisia) in the study area over 18 years. The pollen sampling was performed using a Hirst-type sampler. Mann–Kendall tau test was used to determine trends in pollen season characteristics, while Spearman’s correlation analysis was used to identify the relationships between the characteristics of pollen seasons and both air temp erature and precipitation trends. The notable changes in the pollen-season-related features were observed for all analysed taxa. TheAl...
Source: Aerobiologia - June 24, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Diversity and spatial –temporal distribution of airborne fungi at the world culture heritage site Maijishan Grottoes in China
In this study, a systematic investigation was carried out to detect the seasonal variation and diversity of airborne fungal concentration at the World Cultural Heritage Site Maijishan Grottoes in western China. A bio-aerosol sampler was deployed to collect samples over four seasons in 2016. The culturable airborne fungi were isolated, purified and then identified with the extraction of genomic DNA, PCR amplification of ITS rRNA region, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. The concentrations of culturable fungi ranged from 216 to 1389 CFU/m3, which varied seasonally with significant differences among the sampling sites....
Source: Aerobiologia - June 23, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Seasonal bioaerosol load and statistical analysis within different microenvironments of an academic institute situated in the Indo-Gangetic Plain
AbstractBioaerosols have gained importance in atmospheric sciences in the past few decades. Their exposure upsurges the health problems in sensitive population and is also known to participate in atmospheric chemistry. The present study assesses the monthly distribution of bioaerosol load at four different microenvironments inside an academic institute in Kanpur situated in Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). The study duration was from November 2017 to April 2018. The measured total bioaerosol concentrations were highest during April (418 –610 CFU/m3) at all sites followed by the post-monsoon month of November (369 –577 CFU/...
Source: Aerobiologia - June 11, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Microbial community structure in PM2.5 affected by burning fireworks during the 2019 Spring Festival in Guilin, a touristic city in South China
In this study, PM2.5 samples were collected at four different sites in the city of Guilin during Spring Festival from February 4 to 8, 2019 and a high-throughput sequencing technology was used to investigate the variations of bacterial diversity and community structure in PM2.5. The results revealed thatProteobacteria was the predominant bacterial phylum comprising 94.3% of the total sequences, followed byFirmicutes,Actinobacteria,Bacteroidetes, andDeinococcus-Thermus. At the genus level, the top five abundant genera accounted for 81.8% of the total sequences. The proportions of major genera (Cupriavidus, Sphingobium, Brev...
Source: Aerobiologia - June 1, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Characteristics of airborne microbial community in Hefei, eastern China, under a good quality in mid-spring
AbstractWhether airborne microbial community can be affected by air quality in a short time has been controversial. To study the relationships between the hub bacteria, fungi, and air quality will allow to better understand the mechanism of microbial community change. Total suspended particulate samples were collected to explore the microbial community by metagenome sequencing. Results showed that the bacterial richness and diversity showed a weak uptrend with the increase in air quality index (AQI). The bacterial community was relatively stable, and its minor change was more likely to be caused by AQI. However, the fungal...
Source: Aerobiologia - May 28, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Relevance of aerobiological studies in Nigeria: a two-year aerospora record of Lagos
AbstractPollen and fungal spores (aerospora) are major atmospheric bioaerosols for pollen allergy sufferers. Aerospora types and concentration vary seasonally, depending upon the flowering period and meteorological factors which are variable in different geographical regions. The aim of this study was to analyze a two-year record of aerospora from two locations (Epe and Ojo) in Lagos (Nigeria), from May 2014 to April 2016. Aerospora were monitored with a modified Tauber sampler. The residual solution was harvested monthly throughout the duration of the study and acetolyzed, and microscopic slides were prepared. Aerospora w...
Source: Aerobiologia - May 28, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
A systematic review of threshold values of pollen concentrations for symptoms of allergy
AbstractPollen threshold values used in public warning systems are intended to inform people of the risk of developing allergy symptoms. However, there is no consensus about which pollen concentrations provoke allergy symptoms. The aim of this systematic review was the evaluation of studies investigating the relationship between pollen concentrations (alder, ash, birch, hazel, mugwort and ragweed) and the number of cases in which participants visited a doctor, drug consumption and allergy symptoms. This systematic literature review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019112369). A PubMed search was applied and enriched by cons...
Source: Aerobiologia - May 28, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Characterization of bioaerosols in and around a landfill site in Delhi
AbstractThe present study was carried out to estimate the spatiotemporal variation of fungal bioaerosols, in and around a landfill site in Delhi. The sites were deep in the landfill to nearby residential areas. Fungal bioaerosol sampling was done with the help of Anderson six stage viable cascade impactor on monthly basis for one year from June 2015 to May 2016 at seven different sites in and around the landfill site. The entire sampling period was classified in five different seasons, viz., winter, spring, summer, monsoon and autumn, characteristic of Delhi. It was observed in monsoon season concentration was maximum at m...
Source: Aerobiologia - May 17, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
