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In areas where the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) appears and multiplies, the original vegetation degrades and transforms. The invasive tree of heaven is also of great importance in urban environments, where it causes building damage, static problems and endangers utilities. Ailanthus pollen concentration was measured during the 3-year period (2016-2018) at three county capitals (Szolnok, Debrecen, Nyíregyháza) of the Northern Great Plain, Hungary (JászNagykun-Szolnok county, Hajdú-Bihar county and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county), with a 7-day Hirst-type (Burkard) pollen trap. The highest total pollen count of A. altissima was measured in all three years in Nyíregyháza (1114 pollen m-3 in 2016; 788 pollen m-3 in 2017; 635 pollen m-3 in 2018), while the lowest values were measured in Szolnok in all three years (99 pollen m-3 in 2016; 78 pollen m-3 in 2017; 93 pollen m-3 in 2018). In Debrecen, the annual total pollen concentration varied between 109-127 pollen grains m-3 in the studied period. The extent of the prevalence of A. altissima can be deduced from its pollen concentrations. For this purpose, multi-year pollen data is displayed on a map in which areas characterized by different pollen concentrations are represented by colour codes. Pollen monitoring provides information on the size of A. altissima stands and provides a basis for proposals and plans for measures to control this invasive tree species and mitigate the damage caused by it.

Megatrends are slow processes that are hardly noticeable initially, but later cause long-term global effects. The European Environmental Agency (EEA) has set 11 global megatrends. Some of them - globalization, risk of pandemic, technological development and climate change - have major impacts on microfungi in a vulnerable region of Europe, the Pannonian Biogeographical Region. Due to the globalization, high amount of inocula is imported with tropical fruits, soil and packaging materials. Due to technological development, these fungi gain new habitats in the immediate surroundings of humans. In most of the cases these are considered to be extreme environments for which fungi can increasingly adapt. As a result of climate change, non-native species are more likely to colonize the natural habitats in the region. Some of these fungal species have great effect on human health and agriculture. The effects of global megatrends on fungi raise new issues not only from the point of view of economy and health, but also from plant protection and environmental perspectives. Because of the increasing presence of these fungal species, it is important to take them into account during the development of adaptation strategies.

This study presents the results of a Europe-wide training and Quality Control (QC) exercise carried out within the framework of the European Aerobiology Society’s QC Working Group. The main aim of this exercise was to examine the feasibility of carrying out a QC exercise for fungal spore monitoring in Europe, using a similar methodology to the one previously used for pollen. The QC survey was conducted in two parts: (1) Coordinators of national and regional aerobiological networks in Europe involved in the monitoring of atmospheric fungal spores were invited to complete a questionnaire survey related to their network and asked whether they were interested in taking part in an external inter-laboratory QC exercise; (2) Participating networks performed an inter-laboratory ring test with the same sample slide in order to determine the reproducibility of identifying and counting two fungal spore taxa (Alternaria and Epicoccum) in air samples collected by a Hirst-type volumetric spore trap. Participants were instructed to read five separate longitudinal transects in the “effective collecting area” of the slide. Reproducibility of analysis was determined following the method previously used in the European Aerobiology Society’s QC exercises for pollen. Thirty-two counters from 16 national or regional networks in Europe participated in the QC exercise. Coefficients of Variation (CV%) ranged from 23.0 to 22.5 when reading one transect and from 14.0 to 16.0 when reading five transects for Alternaria and Epicoccum, respectively. Considering a CV% of 30 as the limit for fungal spores, no significant differences were observed between the absolute errors from two, three, four and five transects. The only significant difference was between one and five transects. We recommend that fungal spore analysis should be carried out on about 5% of the slide (two transects in this study) because results were not significantly different to five transects.

Sószobák üzemeltetése prevenciós célzattal vagy kiegészítő terápiaként Magyarországon és Közép-Európában nagyon gyakori. Ennek ellenére a működtetésükre vonatkozóan nem állnak a rendelkezésünkre szabványok, beleértve a higiénés követelményeket, például a levegőminőséget. Aggodalomra adhat okot, hogy a nem kielégítően szellőztetett, zsúfoltabb sószobák akár megbetegedések forrásai is lehetnek a nem megfelelő beltéri levegőminőség következtében. Célunk volt a hazai sószobák biológiai légszennyezőinek vizsgálata. A levegőmintákat Andersen-típusú levegőmintavevő készülékkel 29 sószobában gyűjtöttük Budapesten és három, vidéki városban. A baktériumok beltéri koncentrációja 580-26280 CFU/m3 között változott, mely átlagosan 32-szer magasabb volt beltérben mint kültérben és minden vizsgált sószobában meghaladta az irányértéket. A vizsgált sószobáknál 7 esetben a penészgombák légköri koncentrációja meghaladta az irányértéket; 16 sószobában pedig az élesztőgombák szintje meghaladta a kültéri érték kétszeresét. A bel- és a kültéri mintákban 27, illetve 26 gombataxont mutattunk ki. A sószobákban legnagyobb mennyiségben Cladosporium spp., Penicillium spp., Parengyodontium album és Aspergillus spp.; a kültérben Cladosporium spp., Penicillium spp. és Aspergillus sect. Fumigati volt kimutatható. Méréseink alapján javasoljuk előírások, szabványok bevezetését a sószobák megfelelő mikrobiális levegőminőségének biztosításához.

Dr Ágnes Révay (1952–2018) a respected mycologist, the curator of the microscopic fungi collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum was interested predominantly in floristics, taxonomy and ecology of the Hungarian microscopic fungi, especially the dematiaceous and aquatic hyphomycetes, stauro- and scolecosporous fungi and myxomycetes. More than 70 scientific papers, her revisions and collections, the four new genera (Gorgomyces, Hyalocamposporium, Hydrometrospora, Tulipispora) and the 15 new species described by her, and the species Retiarius revayae named after her preserve her memories.

A golbális megatrendek olyan lassú folyamatok, amelyek kezdetben alig észrevehetők, később azonban hosszú távú globális hatásokat okoznak. Néhányuk – a világjárványok és a globalizáció, a technológiai fejlődés, valamint az éghajlatváltozás – jelentős hatással van hazánk mikroszkopikus gombavilágára. A globalizáció révén nagy mennyiségű gombaspórát és inokulumot hurcolnak be a személy- és áruforgalommal, főként importált trópusi gyümölcsökkel, talajjal és csomagolóanyagokkal. A technológiai fejlődés következtében ezek a gombák új élőhelyekre tesznek szert az emberek közvetlen környezetében, épületek, háztartási vizes berendezések belső terében. Az éghajlatváltozás következtében különböző idegenhonos fajok egyre nagyobb valószínűséggel telepednek meg a régió természetes élőhelyein is. E behurcolt gombák között számos, az emberi egészségre vagy a mezőgazdasági termelésre kockázatot jelentő faj lehet. A globális megatrendek gombafajokra gyakorolt hatásai számos új gazdasági, egészségügyi, növény- és környezetvédelmi problémakör fontosságára hívják fel a figyelmet. A megatrendek mikrogombákra gyakorolt hatását fontos figyelembe venni a különböző védekezési módszerek kidolgozása során, amelyeket be kell építeni az adaptációs stratégiákba. Jelen összefoglaló közleményünk célja ezeknek a veszélyeknek és a megelőzési stratégiákra irányuló javaslatok bemutatása.

Allergic diseases are considered as important human health issues as they substantially restrict many allergic people. Trees such as the plane tree can pose a certain threat to allergy sufferers. Due to the frequent planting of these trees in large cities, their pollen can affect the increase in the frequency of local allergy symptoms. This study compares the plane tree pollen seasons in Poland, in Bialystok, Bydgoszcz, Warsaw, Zielona Gora, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Opole, Olsztyn, Szczecin and in Hungary, in Budapest, Debrecen, Gyor, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nyiregyhaza and Pecs in 2019. The investigations were carried out using the volumetric method (Hirst type pollen sampler). Seasonal Pollen Index (SPI) was estimated as the sum of daily average pollen concentrations in the given season. The season ranges from March to May, depending on the geographical latitude. Diagnosis of plane tree pollen allergy is made difficult due to some cross-reactivity with birch, but also alder, hazel, hornbeam, oak, beech, sweet chestnut, and to some extent with grass pollen. In 2019 the pollen season of Platanus started first in Hungary, in Pecs on the April 1st; in Poland the pollen season started in Szczecin and Zielona Gora on the April 4th. At the latest, a pollen season ended in Poland, in Warsaw and Bydgoszcz until May 11th–12th, similarly in Hungary – until May 11th in Budapest and Kaposvar. The differences of pollen seasons duration were very considerable, from 15 to 40 days. Also the differences of the highest airborne concentration especially between both countries were extremely considerable (2105 pollen grains/m3 in Nyíregyháza and 3 pollen grains/m3 in Białystok. The maximum values of seasonal pollen count in Polish cities occurred between April 24th and May 1st, and in Hungarian cities between April 9th and 16th. The highest plane tree pollen allergen hazard occurred in 2019 undoubtedly in Hungary: in Pecs, Kaposvar and Nyiregyhaza, and was ten times higher than in Poland. The highest variability in the analysed seasons was found in the peak value and annual total.

A növényi pollen allergizáló képessége számos tényezőtől függ. E feltételek: a pollen allergiás immunválasz kiváltására alkalmas anyagot tartalmazzon, a pollent nagy mennyiségben termelje a növény, a pollenszem kis méretű legyen és könnyen, nagy mennyiségben szálljon a levegőben, a növény gyakori, tömegesen előforduló fajba tartozzon. E tényezőket külön súlyozva kiszámítható az egyes növénytaxonok potenciális allergenitása. Dolgozatunkban a szakirodalomban fellelhető módszereket hasonlítjuk össze, és keressük a megfelelő eljárást, amely a növények ültetésére, kereskedelmére irányuló jogi szabályozás alapja lehetne. Az irodalmi áttekintés alapján nem találtunk olyan jelenleg létező módszert, amely a jogi szabályozás követelményeit kielégítheti (megfelelő bizonyítékok felsorolása és reprodukálhatóság), ezért kidolgoztunk egy saját eljárást a növények potenciális allergenitásának kiszámítására.

Az egyes növényfajok, taxonok allergenitása alapján kiszámítható, hogy az egyes városi zöldterületek, parkok vagy fasorok esetén milyen mértékű a pollenterhelés. A városi parkok minősítésére külföldön már alkalmazott IUGZA módszert hazai parkok és vonalas létesítmények fásszárú növényzetén teszteltük. Az eredmények azt mutatták, hogy a módszer megfelelően alkalmazható parkoknál, azonban a vonalas létesítményeknél nem, mivel ez utóbbiaknál a számítás alapját képező terület meghatározási módszer nincs egyértelműen megadva. A számítási módszer által megkövetelt növénymorfológiai adatok a nyilvánosan elérhető hazai fakataszterek (n=11) csupán 20%-ában állnak rendelkezésre. A továbbiakban egy általunk kidolgozott új módszert mutatunk be, amely a jogi alkalmazás igényeit is kielégíti, ugyanakkor könnyen végrehajtható a már meglévő fakatasztereken, mert növénymorfológiai adatokat nem igényel, hanem az allergén fák százalékos aránya alapján ad minősítést. Eszerint alacsony allergén kibocsátású a zöldterület, ha a fa és cserje egyedek kevesebb, mint 10%-a tartozik a potenciálisan erősen/nagyon erősen allergén taxonok közé; közepes, ha 11-34%, magas, ha 34% feletti ezen egyedek aránya. Emellett bemutatjuk a módszer alkalmazásának lehetőségét a zöldterületek allergén pollen kibocsátásának csökkentésére, amelyet elsősorban szabályozás révén, közterületek vonatkozásában lehetne megvalósítani.

Warming and heat waves are predicted by different climate models in the near future in the Pannonian Biogeographical Region (PBR). These climatic effects may have impact on the prevalence and distribution of certain fungal species of this area. In this study the effects of predicted climate scenarios were tested on fungi being endemic or unintentionally introduced by global trade from regions of warm temperate climate. Common fungal species were selected for the study and exposed to heat waves during 7 days according to two climate scenarios: one moderately (RCP 4.5, T

You may not pay much attention to fungi growing on the bark of trees in your neighborhood, but there are many fungal species that scientists know have joined the “bark side.” The fungi living on bark do many interesting and surprising things. For example, bark fungi may prowl the bark in search of resources or new habitats. Fungi create tiny versions of themselves, called spores, which can use “the force” (of nature, like blowing wind, or flowing water) to move from one place to another on the bark. In this article, we introduce the microscopic war waging on the bark of your neighborhood trees, and present some of the fungi warriors of the bark side. We describe how some fungal spores use the force to stalk the bark (and beyond) during storms and discuss why fungi-bark interactions are another important reason to preserve and protect our trees.

Funding Information: Funding: O.K. was supported by the ÚNKP-20-3—New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund. M.A.A., H.S. and R.M. are grateful to the Academy of Finland (CleanSchool-project, grant no. 330150) for financial support. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The genus Chaetomium is a frequently occurring fungal taxon world-wide. Chaetomium and Chaetomium-like species occur in indoor environments, where they can degrade cellulose-based building materials, thereby causing structural damage. Furthermore, several species of this genus may also cause adverse effects on human health. The aims of this research were to identify Chaetomium and Chaetomium-like strains isolated from indoor environments in Hungary and Finland, two geographi-cally distant regions of Europe with drier and wetter continental climates, respectively, and to study their morphological and physiological properties, as well as their extracellular enzyme activities, thereby comparing the Chaetomium and Chaetomium-like species isolated from these two different regions of Europe and their properties. Chaetomium and Chaetomium-like strains were isolated from flats and offices in Hungary, as well as from schools, flats, and offices in Finland. Fragments of the translation elongation factor 1α (tef1α), thesecond largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (rpb2) and β-tubulin (tub2) genes, as well as the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA gene cluster were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis of the sequences performed. Morphological examinations were performed by stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Thirty-one Chaetomium sp. strains (15 from Hungary and 16 from Finland) were examined during the study. The most abundant species was Ch. globosum in both countries. In Hungary, 13 strains were identified as Ch. globosum, 1 as Ch. cochliodes, and 1 as Ch. interruptum. In Finland, 10 strains were Ch. globosum, 2 strains were Ch. cochliodes, 2 were Ch. rectangulare, and 2 isolates (SZMC 26527, SZMC 26529) proved to be representatives of a yet undescribed phylogenetic species from the closely related genus Dichotomopilus, which we formally describe here as the new species Dichotomopilus finlandicus. Growth of the isolates was examined at different temperatures (4, 15, 20, 25, 30, 37, 35, 40, and 45◦ C), while their extracellular enzyme production was determined spectrophotometrically.

Háztartásainkban előforduló mikroszkopikus gombák gyakran extrém környezethez alkalmazkodtak, ilyen például a különböző vizes berendezésekben kialakuló magas hőmérséklet, változó kémhatás és nedvesség. E környezet a higiénés szokásaink megváltozásával időről-időre átalakul. A készülékekben megtelepedő gombáknak egészségkockázata lehet. Vizsgálatunk során célul tűztük ki a mosógépekben előforduló gombafajok azonosítását, gyakoriságuk és növekedésük vizsgálatát a mosógépekre jellemző fizikai és kémiai körülmények között, továbbá a mosógép-használati szokások és a gombaszennyezettség közötti összefüggések elemzését. Ennek érdekében tenyésztéses gombavizsgálatokhoz mintákat gyűjtöttünk 62 mosógépből, továbbá ezzel párhuzamosan kérdőíves felmérést végeztünk a használati szokásokra vonatkozóan. A mosógépek 32%-a erősen szennyezettnek bizonyult. A vizsgált készülékek 46%-át opportunista humánpatogén gombák kolonizálták. Szignifikánsan több gombafajt találtunk azokban a mosógépekben, melyeket konyhában (p=0.021), illetve fűtetlen helyiségben (p=0.003) tartottak. A kimutatott fajok patogének lehetnek cisztás fibrózisban és asztmában szenvedők esetében. Vizsgálataink alapján ajánlásokat fogalmaztunk meg a mosógéphasználattal járó esetleges egészségkockázat csökkentésére.

A zöld infrastruktúra jelentőségét az Európai Uniós szakpolitikák formálása során számos területen felismerték. A zöld infrastruktúra képes összeköttetést teremteni a meglévő természeti területek között, hat a gazdasági növekedésre, a termelékenységre és az emberi egészségre. A WHO Ottawai Charta néven ismertté vált dokumentuma már 1986-ban kiemelte, hogy a környezet jelentősen támogatja az emberi egészséget, így a természeti erőforrások megőrzése alapvető minden egészségvédő stratégiában. Az utóbbi években kezdtek felértékelődni azok az előnyök, amelyeket a természet sokszínűsége jelent az emberi egészség számára. Egyre több megalapozott bizonyíték áll rendelkezésre arról, hogy a természetes környezet milyen kedvező hatásokat fejt ki egészségünkre és milyen sokrétűen járul hozzá jóllétünkhöz. A közlemények kiemelik, hogy a természetnek pozitív hatása van a mentális és a fizikai egészségre, a gyógyulási hajlamra, szívműködésünkre, a koncentrálóképességre, a stressz és a vérnyomás csökkentésére, a viselkedésre és egyéb tényezőkre, különösen a gazdaságilag elmaradottabb közösségek, gyermekek, várandós édesanyák és idősek számára. Többen felhívják a figyelmet a szabadban való sportolás, fizikai aktvitás kedvező pszichés hatásaira is. A természetben tapasztalható gyors biodiverzitás csökkenés azonban egy másik megatrend, az asztma, allergia és egyéb krónikus gyulladásos folyamatok kialakulásához vezethet, elsősorban a városi lakosság körében. Itt meg kell említeni, hogy a városi növényzet allergizáló hatását sokféle tényező befolyásolhatja, az ún. “higiénés hipotézis” szerepe igen jelentős. Mindazonáltal a zöld környezet kedvező hatásai összességében ellensúlyozzák az allergia kialakulását. A várostervezők, fenntartók és döntéshozók számára fontos kihívás az egyre sűrűbben beépített városok tervezése, ugyanakkor meg kell felelni az ökoszisztémák fejlesztési és egészségi követelményeinek is. A városi zöldfelületek tervezését és fenntartását a helyi lehetőségeknek kell meghatározni, figyelembe véve a földrajzi és kulturális adottságokat.

Operational pollen monitoring networks have developed across Europe, and the world more generally, in response to the increasing prevalence of pollen allergy and asthma. Routine pollen observations are in large part currently still based on time-intensive manual techniques developed in the 1950s. These methods suffer from low temporal resolution and long delays in data availability. Recent technological developments are revolutionising the field making real-time high-temporal resolution measurements possible. This paper describes the rationale behind the EUMETNET AutoPollen programme, which aims to develop a prototype automatic pollen monitoring network across Europe. We provide a brief description of the current state-of-the-art, then an overview of new technologies, and finally the main tasks of the AutoPollen programme.

Substantial knowledge is available on the association of the indoor school environment and its effect among schoolchildren. In the same context, the SINPHONIE (School indoor pollution and health: Observatory network in Europe) conducted a study to collect data and determine the distribution of several indoor air pollutants (IAPs), physical and thermal parameters and their association with eye, skin, upper-, lower respiratory and systemic disorder symptoms during the previous three months. Finally, data from 115 schools in 54 European cities from 23 countries were collected and included 5175 schoolchildren using a harmonized and standardized protocol. The association between exposures and the health outcomes were examined using logistic regression models on the environmental stressors assessed in classroom while adjusting for several confounding factors; a VOC (volatile organic compound) score defined as the sum of the number of pollutants to which the children were highly exposed (concentration > median of the distribution) in classroom was also introduced to evaluate the mul tiexposu re - outcome association. Schoolchildren while adjusting for several confounding factors. Schoolchildren exposed to above or equal median concentration of PM2.5, benzene, limonene, ozone and radon were at significantly higher odds of suffering from upper, lower airways, eye and systemic disorders. Increased odds were also observed for any symptom (sick school syndrome) among schoolchildren exposed to concentrations of limonene and ozone above median values. Furthermore, the risks for upper and lower airways and systemic disorders significantly increased with the VOCs score. Results also showed that increased ventilation rate was significantly associated with decreased odds of suffering from eye and skin disorders whereas similar association was observed between temperature and upper airways symptoms. The present study provides evidence that exposure to IAPs in schools is associated with various health problems in children. Further investigations are needed to confirm our findings. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Almost all the species of the Chenopodiaceae family present in our flora flower from July–August to the autumn. Unfortunately, allergies do not take a vacation. Warm, dry July and August weather should limit pollen emissions. However, similarly to most plants in dry habitats, goosefoot are well adapted to such conditions and does not provide even a short reprieve to pollen allergic patients. However, goosefoot pollen does not have a very large allergenic significance; despite the long pollen season lasting about 3 months, pollen concentrations in the air are low and very rarely exceed the concentration of 30 grains/m3. This study compares Chenopodiaceae pollen seasons in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in 2019. The investigations were carried out using the volumetric method (Hirst type pollen sampler). Seasonal pollen index was estimated as the sum of daily average pollen concentrations in the given season. The pollen season ranges from June to September, depending on the geographical latitude. In Hungary and Slovakia there are much longer pollen seasons than in Poland. Pollen of goosefoot family contains the panallergen profilins, which are responsible for cross-reactivity among pollen-sensitized patients. In 2019 the pollen season of goosefoot started first in Hungary, in Kaposvar on June 7th and in Slovakia, in Žilina, on June 8th; in Poland pollen season started much later, on June 14th in Szczecin and Opole. At the latest, a pollen season ended in Nitria (Slovakia) on October 16th; in Kecskemet (Hungary) on October 3rd. In Poland the season ended much earlier than in Hungary and Slovakia already on August 25th. The differences of pollen season durations are considerable, the number of days ranged from 72 to 128. The dynamics of the pollen seasons of goosefoot family show similarities within a given country and considerable differences between these countries. However, the differences of the highest airborne concentration between the countries are not considerable (25 pollen grains/m3 in Poland, 49 pollen grains/m3 in Hungary, and 30 pollen grains/m3 in Slovakia. The maximum values of seasonal pollen count in Polish cities occurred between July 26th and August 29th, in Hungarian cities between August 27th and 30th, and in Slovakian cities between August 7th and 28th. Pollen season was characterized by extremely different total annual pollen SPI, in Poland from 116 to 360; in Hungary and Slovakia within the limits 290 to 980. Droughts that occur more frequently during the summer facilitate the spread of species of the goosefoot family due to the possibility of these plants gaining new habitats.

International audience; There are multiple distinct habitats for microbiota inhabiting the plant microbiome (phyllosphere, endosphere, litter, rhizosphere) and habitats that act as additional sources (and sinks) of microbes and nutrients for the plant microbiome (atmosphere, pedosphere, bedrock, and fauna). These habitats harbor distinctive microbial communities that differ in structure, composition, function, and spatiotemporal dynamics. Each habitat also differs in the mechanisms that provide “gateways” of exchange of microbes (and microbial products) between two communities, or in their access to “highways” that connect multiple communities. Of the environmental processes driving microbial community exchanges, precipitation events seem to represent the only one highway that can connect all the abovementioned habitats—the “hydrologic highway”. When precipitation contacts plants, it is partitioned into interception (water stored on, and evaporated from, plant surfaces), throughfall (water that drips from canopy surfaces and through gaps), and stemflow (water that is drained down the stem). This chapter describes the ways that precipitation partitioning in vegetated ecosystems (into interception, throughfall, and stemflow) may connect microbial communities from the top (atmospheric boundary layer) to the bottom (bedrock face) of the critical zone via these hydrologic highways.

For close to a century, scientists have recognized the important role of throughfall and stemflow (precipitation water that falls through plant canopies and runs down plant stems, respectively) in the cycling of materials. These “hydrologic highways” carry atmospherically deposited and canopy-derived materials from the top of the plant canopy to the ground below, thus integrating biological, physical, and chemical processes occurring at the top of and within the canopy and linking above and belowground components of ecosystems. Diverse in nature, abundance, composition, and effects, the materials that flow through plant canopies can be dissolved or particulate, living or nonliving, nutrients or pollutants, beneficial or pathogenic. Yet, despite decades of research, only a small fraction of the components within throughfall and stemflow have been “seen” in studies on material cycles. Thus, our goal in this chapter is to uncover and call attention to the plethora of “unseen” materials in throughfall and stemflow, for example, those that are discarded after filtration and those that remain hidden within precipitation waters. From a biogeochemical standpoint, their quantification is important. Recent research highlights the abundance of particulates, bacterial cells, fungi, and potentially even microplastics in throughfall and stemflow with broader social, economic, and ecological implications for nutrient cycling, soil formation and fertility, decomposition, aquatic ecosystems, climate change, air quality, decontamination, radiation hygiene, species distribution, and disease transmission.

Bevezetés: Azt tűztük ki célul, hogy elemezzük az összefüggést a hazánkban jelentős népegészségügyi problémának számító parlagfűpollen-allergia előfordulási gyakorisága és a hosszú távú pollenterhelés, valamint egyes légszennyezők (NO2, PM10, CO) hatása, továbbá egyes kora gyermekkori környezeti tényezők között. Módszerek: A vizsgálathoz az Országos Közegészségügyi Központ által végzett országos szintű, az ISAAC tanulmány kérdőívén alapuló felmérés (Országos Gyermek Légúti Felmérés, OGYELF, 2005) parlagfűallergiára és lehetséges kockázati tényezőire vonatkozó kérdéseit használtuk fel. A települések hosszú távú pollenexpozícióját az országot lefedő 19 aerobiológiai mérőállomás átlagos napi pollenkoncentrációiból számoltuk, míg a hosszú távú légszennyezettséget kormányrendelet alapján kialakított légszennyezettségi zónákba sorolás alapján kaptuk. Az elemzéshez leíró és analitikus statisztikai módszereket alkalmaztunk. Eredmények: A mérések alapján jellemző magas tartományban a pollenterhelés nem mutatott szignifikáns összefüggést az allergia rizikójával. Országos szinten szignifikánsan kisebb volt az allergia előfordulása az alacsonyabb légszennyezettségű területeken, Pest megye kizárása után azonban ez a szignifikáns hatás eltűnt. Gyakrabban fordult elő allergia fiú gyermekeknél, továbbá növelte az allergia rizikóját a pozitív családi anamnézis, a kora gyermekkori súlyos, alsó légúti infekció, a különálló, saját gyermekszoba. A rendszeres szociális juttatásban részesülő szülők gyermekeinél kisebb gyakorisággal fordult elő allergia. A várandósság alatti dohányzás negatív összefüggést mutatott a kimenetellel az országos elemzésben, de Pest megye kizárásával a szignifikancia eltűnt. Az anyai életkor a gyermek születésekor nem mutatott szignifikáns összefüggést az allergiarizikóval. Következtetés: A genetikai hajlam mellett számos környezetei tényező is szerepet játszik a fokozott allergiarizikó hátterében, ugyanakkor az előfordulási gyakoriságot egyéb faktorok (szülői ismeretek az allergia tüneteiről, infrastrukturális különbségek, ellátórendszerhez való hozzáférhetőség) is befolyásolhatják, melyek hatását további vizsgálatokban tervezzük elemezni.

The usage of bottled water dispensers (BWDs) has spread worldwide. Despite their popularity, few studies have dealt with their microbial contaminants, and little attention is given to their fungal contamination. To our knowledge this is the first mycological study of BWDs in Europe. 36 devices have been examined in Budapest, Hungary. Despite of the strictly regulated water hygiene system in Hungary, molds and yeasts were detected in 86.8% of the samples, 56.76% were highly contaminated. Elevated heterotrophic plate counts were also observed in all samples compared to that of Hungarian drinking water. As all physical and chemical water quality characteristics have met the relevant national and European parametric values and neither totally explained the results of microbial counts, the effect of usage and maintenance habits of the devices were examined. Fungal concentrations were affected by the time elapsed since disinfection, days remaining until expiration of bottles, month of sampling and exposure to sunlight during storage. Microbes are able to proliferate in the bottled water and disperse inside the BWDs. Many of the detected fungal species (Sarocladium&nbsp, kiliense, Acremonium&nbsp, sclerotigenum/egyptiacum, Exophiala&nbsp, jeanselmei var. lecanii-corni, Exophiala&nbsp, equina, Meyerozyma&nbsp, guilliermondii, Cystobasidium&nbsp, slooffiae, Aspergillus&nbsp, jensenii, Bisifusarium&nbsp, biseptatum) are opportunistic pathogens for subpopulations of sensitive age groups and patients with immunodeficient conditions, including cystic fibrosis. Thus BWDs may pose a health risk to visitors of healthcare institutions, especially to patients with oral lesions in dental surgeries. The study draws attention to the need to investigate microbial contamination of these devices in other countries as well.

The composition of fungal biota and air quality of five traditional subterranean wine cellars and one store building of a modern wine production facility were examined in the Tokaj wine region (northeastern Hungary). Air samples were collected with SAS IAQ sampler onto PDA, MEA and RBA. Strains representing morphotypes were isolated from colonies formed on agar plates from either air or surface samples. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rRNA gene cluster was amplified with primers ITS1 and ITS4. Altogether 90 morphotypes were isolated, 48 and 12 strains (43 species) from the air and surfaces, respectively. The number of spore-forming species generated high diversity of indoor fungi and differences between the cellars’ fungal compositions; however, their dominant species were proved to be the same. Among the isolated strains Penicillium spp. were the most frequent. The walls of cellars were covered by colonies of Zasmidium (Cladosporium) cellare often referred to as a noble mold. Even so, this mold has been found only at a small concentration in the air samples (10–30 CFU/m3). The walls of the modern store were free of molds. Diversity of fungi of the examined wine cellars was influenced by environmental conditions to a certain degree, such as elevation (height above sea level), age, reconstruction time of cellars, indoor ethanol concentration and the number of chimneys. The location of cellars poorly influenced the concentration of fungi of the air inside cellars, contrary to outdoors where the air of the municipal area contained more CFUs than that of rural spaces.

The present study applied indicator value analysis as a novel approach to estimate honey authenticity: microscopic indicators of honey origin were identified based on the distinct fungal content of honeys from different sources. The abundance and the IndVal index of 34 selected fungal spore types were quantified in 82 melissopalynological honey samples originating from various honeydew (Pinus, Abies) or nectar sources using multivariate statistical approaches. A dissimilarity matrix of honey samples was obtained by computing Bray-Curtis coefficients, and the distances were visualized using non-metric multidimensional scaling. K-means clustering was applied to sample coordinates to create a classification based on the frequency of selected fungal taxa. Strikingly, the resulting clusters were on a high level of agreement with the melissopalynological or geographical classification of samples. Various fungal taxa were shown to characterize groups of honey samples with a significant indicator value: floral honeys (Metschnikowia reukaufii), Pinus honeydew honeys (Capnobotrys sp., Antennatula sp.), Abies honeydew honeys from Greece (staurospore and scolecospore types) and honeydew honeys from Italy (Tripospermum spp. and Excipularia fusispora). Having revealed that the mere presence of distinct fungal taxa can indicate differences in the botanical and geographical source of honeys, the present findings encourage the confirmation of honey origin also by recording the occurrence of given honeydew elements during routine melissopalynological analysis.

Water-filled tree holes (dendrotelmata) are mostly ephemeral micro-ecosystems characterized by high level of heterotrophic microbial activity sustained by allochthonous organic matter. In this paper, description of a five-year long observation of fungal consortia in a Norway maple tree-hole is presented. Overall, 139 fungal taxa were detected. Among them, Excipularia fusispora, Ellisembia leptospora, Rebentischia unicaudata, Tricladium castaneicola, Thielavia terricola and Alternaria spp. occurred most frequently. Our observations suggest that even an individual dendrotelma represents an exceptional microhabitat, forming a hot-spot for microfungi due to its role as a natural spore trap and its (temporarily) aquatic environment. Our results show that this aquatic micro-ecosystem supports highly diverse mycobiota with continuous temporal dynamics, with an important fraction of sporadic taxa.

Mycoceros antennatissimus gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated from pollen grains deposited on the bark of Elaeagnus angustifolia and Platanus × acerifolia in Hungary. This fungus is shown to capture pollen grains by its three-dimensional shape. It clearly shows seasonality and appears to be rare. The following factors determine its ecological niche: (1) the availability of fresh Pinaceae pollen grains deposited from the air on the bark of a nearby standing angiosperm tree with (2) water-retaining spongious bark, and (3) rainy weather. Conidia are mainly dispersed by stemflow rainwater, while they hardly become airborne. Direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from single conidia made it possible to perform molecular phylogenetic investigation in order to clarify its taxonomic relationship within the Ascomycota.

BACKGROUND Higher exposure to air pollution may contribute to the increased prevalence of allergic diseases in children. The study investigated the associations between the prevalence of childhood respiratory diseases and long-term exposure to NO2, SO2, PM10, furthermore some surrogates in schoolchildren in Hungary. We also analysed the possible modification effects of some confounders by interaction analysis. METHODS A total of 6,771 children aged 8-9-year-old residing at their current addresses since their births with air pollution monitoring stations were selected into this analysis. Health outcomes and their possible determinants, as well as, surrogates of air pollution were surveyed by using a standardized questionnaire. Long-term exposure to PM10, NO2, and SO2 was calculated at settlement level derived from daily average concentrations of pollutants. Descriptive and analytical statistical methods were applied. RESULTS NO2 levels were positively associated with respiratory allergies and asthma. Decreased risk for ragweed, any other pollen, house dust mite and animal fur allergy was detected with PM10 level. There were significant associations between respiratory allergies to ragweed, any other pollen, house dust mite, animal fur, wheeze symptoms and living or attending school nearby a factory, power station or bus station as well as living in a home with intensive noise or vibration. Gender, parental atopy, home mold and early respiratory infection were significant effect modifiers in some cases. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that respiratory health in children is adversely affected by air pollutants.

Ragweed Pollen Alarm System (R-PAS) has been running since 2014 to provide pollen information for countries in the Pannonian biogeographical region (PBR). The aim of this study was to develop forecast models of the representative aerobiological monitoring stations, identified by analysis based on a neural network computation. Monitoring stations with 7-day Hirst-type pollen trap having 10-year long validated data set of ragweed pollen were selected for the study from the PBR. Variables including forecasted meteorological data, pollen data of the previous days and nearby monitoring stations were used as input of the model. We used the multilayer perceptron model to forecast the pollen concentration. The multilayer perceptron (MLP) is a feedforward artificial neural network. MLP is a data-driven method to forecast the behaviour of complex systems. In our case, it has three layers, one of which is hidden. MLP utilizes a supervised learning technique called backpropagation for training to get better performance. By testing the neural network, we selected different sets of variables to predict pollen levels for the next 3 days in each of the monitoring stations. The predicted pollen level categories (low–medium–high–very high) are shown on isarithmic map. We used the mean square error, mean absolute error and correlation coefficient metrics to show the forecasting system’s performance. The average of the Pearson correlations is around 0.6 but shows big variability (0.13–0.88) among different locations. Model uncertainty is mainly caused by the limitation of the available input data and the variability in ragweed season patterns. Visualization of the results of the neural network forecast on isarithmic maps is a good tool to communicate pollen information to general public in the PBR.

Çalışmada 50 yazar bulunmaktadır. Bu yazarlardan sadece Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi mensuplarının girişleri yapılmıştır. The effect of height on pollen concentration is not well documented and little is known about the near-ground vertical profile of airborne pollen. This is important as most measuring stations are on roofs, but patient exposure is at ground level. Our study used a big data approach to estimate the near-ground vertical profile of pollen concentrations based on a global study of paired stations located at different heights. We analyzed paired sampling stations located at different heights between 1.5 and 50 m above ground level (AGL). This provided pollen data from 59 Hirst-type volumetric traps from 25 different areas, mainly in Europe, but also covering North America and Australia, resulting in about 2,000,000 daily pollen concentrations analyzed. The daily ratio of the amounts of pollen from different heights per location was used, and the values of the lower station were divided by the higher station. The lower station of paired traps recorded more pollen than the higher trap. However, while the effect of height on pollen concentration was clear, it was also limited (average ratio 1.3, range 0.7-2.2). The standard deviation of the pollen ratio was highly variable when the lower station was located close to the ground level (below 10 m AGL). We show that pollen concentrations measured at > 10 m are representative for background near-ground levels. ZAUM- Center of Allergy & Environment of the Technical University Munich/Helmholtzzentrum Munich Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care grant