1. Short seasons and nightly atmospheric circulation of allergenic pollen in Augsburg, Germany:
is it really good news?
Dr. A. Damialis

2. Pollen as agents of allergy
Stemphylium
Cladosporium
Pollen inhalation may cause respiratory allergy symptoms in sensitised individuals (allergic rhinitis, allergic bronchial asthma etc.)
Up to 30% of European population manifests respiratory allergy symptoms
This is expected to rise to 50% by 2020 (EAACI)
… climate change effects??? …
Alternaria
Ambrosia
Poaceae
Fraxinus

4. Reminder
Limited research has been published for Bavaria (and Augsburg) during the last decade on:
- Airborne pollen
Limited research has been published for Germany on circadian rhythms of pollen release
(e.g. Simoleit A., et al Intradiurnal patterns of allergenic airborne pollen near a city motorway in Berlin, Germany. Aerobiologia 32: )
=> Need for research

5. OBJECTIVES
Investigate the pollen abundance and pollen season occurrence in Augsburg, Bavaria
-> how many pollen and when?
Investigate abundance patterns at multi-resolution timescales
-> per year, per day (2-hourly: the finest possible)

6. AIM OF THE STUDY
Provide daily information for timely allergy management ↔
forecasts of high-risk periods…

7. AEROALLERGEN MONITORING IN AUGSBURG
Use of 7-day recording Burkard volumetric trap
Stable air flow through a thin orifice (10 lt min-1)
Aeroallergens are trapped onto a transparent Melinex tape, coated with a solution of glycerol- gelatine, and attached to cylindrical drum on a clockwork-driven mechanism
The drum makes a complete revolution within a week, and then the tape is replaced
The tape is cut into 7 equal parts, each corresponding to 1 daily aerobiological sample
Microscopic identification & counting of pollen

8. AEROALLERGEN MONITORING IN AUGSBURG (summary)
The European Aerobiology Society method is preferred, which allows for A) the highest possible sample size taken
B) the finest possible timescale examined : 2-hourly
C) the highest accuracy achieved (>99%, less than 0.1% unidentified pollen types)
Identification of all types of pollen (and fungal spores) is conducted
Aeroallergen counts are expressed as number of pollen per m3 of air

9. Results (diversity of pollen taxa in Augsburg in 2015)

10. Total number of taxa >40, Total API > 26,000 grains, 15 most abundant pollen taxa = 96.8% of API, 7 pollen taxa ~90% of the API, grasses and birch > 1/3 of the API

11. Seasonal pollen circulation patterns in Augsburg, 2015
Y-axis: number of pollen per cubic metre of air (weekly moving averages),
X-axis: Month of sampling
Normally-distributed seasons, with well-defined start and end, highly peaked
Grass and nettle pollen seasons are the longest (>3 months)

12. Seasonal pollen circulation patterns in Augsburg, 2015
Y-axis: number of pollen per cubic metre of air (weekly moving averages),
X-axis: Month of sampling
Daily peak pollen concentrations (per cubic metre of air):
1317 for Pinaceae, 1249 for Betula, 460 for Poaceae, 334 for Fraxinus

13. Seasonal pollen circulation patterns in Augsburg, 2015
Y-axis: number of pollen per cubic metre of air (weekly moving averages),
X-axis: Month of sampling
Start of pollen season: mid- to late- March with Corylus, Alnus and Populus
Peak of pollen season: April-May
Duration of pollen season: frequently less than one month (median=29 days) [Longest season: Plantago (119 days), Alnus (97 days) & Urticaceae (79 days)]
End of pollen season: extends to September (Ambrosia, Artemisia, Plantago, …)

14. Circadian pollen circulation patterns in Augsburg, 2015
Y-axis: number of pollen per cubic metre of air (2-hourly averages per year), X-axis: 2-hourly interval of sampling
Diurnal pollen circulation: Peak afternoon-evening (Urticaceae, Picea) or midnight-early morning hours (Betula, Cupressaceae, Pinus)

15. Circadian pollen circulation patterns in Augsburg, 2015
Y-axis: number of pollen per cubic metre of air (2-hourly averages per year), X-axis: 2-hourly interval of sampling
A myth to dispel? (pollen do not necessarily peak their concentration in midday)
-> Why???
A) Biology of plants (liberation of pollen)? B) local meteorology (winds, temperature)?
Y-axis: % of intervals with pollen counts,
X-axis: 2-hourly interval of sampling

16. …CONCLUSIONS…
“Good news: Short pollen seasons and nightly pollen circulation”…
Pollen seasons are usually short but highly peaked and therefore the risk for respiratory symptoms higher during a short (unpredictable?) time interval
Pollen can have their peak concentration during any time of the day
: frequently after the evening
-> cannot assess allergy risk
=> when is it safe???

17. Ongoing research…
Evaluate the ‘allergyscape’ of Augsburg : allergy hotspots of Augsburg, spatially and temporally:
based on patient data -> sensitisation thresholds…
Investigate the relationships of micrometeorology and climate, temporally and spatially, with aeroallergen concentrations
Develop real-time aerobiological monitoring and allergy-risk assessment…
Investigate airborne concentrations of fungal spores in Augsburg

18. Future challenges…
Accurate, Timely, Individualised, widely Accessible warning alerts on high-risk periods for pollen (and fungal spore) allergies.
Predictions (short- and long-term) of the risk periods of high exposure to aeroallergens
Predictions (local- and regional- scale) of the risk areas of high exposure to aeroallergens

19. Thank you for your attention