Search

Viruses are frequently a microbial biocontaminant of healthy plants. The occurrence of the infection can be also due to environmental stress, like urbanisation, air pollution and increased air temperature, especially under the ongoing climate change. The aim of the present study was to investigate the hypothesis that worsened air quality and fewer green areas may favour the higher frequency of common viral infections, particularly in a common tree in temperate and continental climates, Betula pendula ROTH. We examined 18 trees, during the years 2015–2017, the same always for each year, in the region of Augsburg, Germany. By specific PCR, the frequency of two viruses, Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV, genus Nepovirus, family Secoviridae), which is frequent in birch trees, and a novel virus tentatively named birch idaeovirus (BIV), which has been only recently described, were determined in pollen samples. The occurrence of the viruses was examined against the variables of urban index, air pollution (O3 and NO2), air temperature, and tree morphometrics (trunk perimeter, tree height, crown height and diameter). Generalized Non-linear models (binomial logit with backward stepwise removal of independent variables) were employed. During the study period, both CLRV and BIV were distributed widely throughout the investigated birch individuals. CLRV seemed to be rather cosmopolitan and was present independent of any abiotic factor. BIV's occurrence was mostly determined by higher values of the urban index and of NO2. Urban birch trees, located next to high-traffic roads with higher NO2 levels, are more likely to be infected by BIV. Increased environmental stress may lead to more plant viral infections. Here we suggest that this is particularly true for urban spaces, near high-traffic roads, where plants may be more stressed, and we recommend taking mitigation measures for controlling negative human interventions.

Intraspecific genetic variation might limit the relevance of environmental factors on plant traits. For example, the interaction between genetics and (a-)biotic factors regulating pollen production are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated pollen production of 28 birch (Betula pendula Roth) individuals in the years 2019–2021. We sampled catkins of eleven groups of genetically identical trees, which were partially topped, but of the same age and located in a seed plantation in southern Germany characterized by similar microclimatic conditions. Furthermore, we monitored environmental factors such as air temperature, characterized air quality (NO2, NOx and O3), and assessed potential solar radiation. We especially checked for differences between years as well as between and within clones and assessed the synchronicity of years with high/low pollen production. We present a robust mean for the pollen production of Betula pendula (1.66 million pollen grains per catkin). Our findings show temporal (H(2) = 46.29, p < 0.001) and clonal variations (H(4) = 21.44, p < 0.001) in pollen production. We conclude that synchronized high or low pollen production is not utterly site-specific and, in addition, not strictly dependent on genotypes. We suggest that appropriate clone selection based on application (seed plantation, urban planting) might be advantageous and encourage a long-term monitoring. German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) (DFG) Open Access Fund of the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt EU-COST Action ADOPT

Airborne pollen monitoring has been an arduous task, making ecological applications and allergy management virtually disconnected from everyday practice. Over the last decade, intensive research has been conducted worldwide to automate this task and to obtain real-time measurements. The aim of this study was to evaluate such an automated biomonitoring system vs. the conventional ‘gold-standard’ Hirst-type technique, attempting to assess which may more accurately provide the genuine exposure to airborne pollen. Airborne pollen was monitored in Augsburg since 2015 with two different methods, a novel automatic Bio-Aerosol Analyser, and with the conventional 7-day recording Hirst-type volumetric trap, in two different sites. The reliability, performance, accuracy, and comparability of the BAA500 Pollen Monitor (PoMo) vs. the conventional device were investigated, by use of approximately 2.5 million particles sampled during the study period. The observations made by the automated PoMo showed an average accuracy of approximately 85%. However, it also exhibited reliability problems, with information gaps within the main pollen season of between 17 to 19 days. The PoMo automated algorithm had identification issues, mainly confusing the taxa of Populus, Salix and Tilia. Hirst-type measurements consistently exhibited lower pollen abundances (median of annual pollen integral: 2080), however, seasonal traits were more comparable, with the PoMo pollen season starting slightly later (median: 3 days), peaking later (median: 5 days) but also ending later (median: 14 days). Daily pollen concentrations reported by Hirst-type traps vs. PoMo were significantly, but not closely, correlated (r = 0.53–0.55), even after manual classification. Automatic pollen monitoring has already shown signs of efficiency and accuracy, despite its young age; here it is suggested that automatic pollen monitoring systems may be more effective in capturing a larger proportion of the airborne pollen diversity. Even though reliability issues still exist, we expect that this new generation of automated bioaerosol monitoring will eventually change the aerobiological era, as known for almost 70 years now.

Higher incidences of asthma during thunderstorms can pose a serious health risk. In this study, we estimate the thunderstorm asthma risk using statistical methods, with special focus on Bavaria, Southern Germany. In this approach, a dataset of asthma-related emergency cases for the study region is combined with meteorological variables and aeroallergen data to identify statistical relationships between the occurrence of asthma (predictand) and different environmental parameters (set of predictors). On the one hand, the results provide evidence for a weak but significant relationship between atmospheric stability indices and asthma emergencies in the region, but also show that currently thunderstorm asthma is not a major concern in Bavaria due to overall low incidences. As thunderstorm asthma can have severe consequences for allergic patients, the presented approach can be important for the development of emergency strategies in regions affected by thunderstorm asthma and under present and future climate change conditions.

Flowering and pollen seasons are sensitive to environmental variability and are considered climate change indicators. However, it has not been concluded to what extent flowering phenology is indeed reflected in airborne pollen season locally. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the commonly represented in temperate climates and with highly allergenic pollen Betula pendula Roth, the responsiveness of flowering to different environmental regimes and also to check for commensurate changes in the respective pollen seasons. The region of Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, was initially screened for birch trees, which were geolocated at a radius of 25 km. Random trees across the city were then investigated during three full flowering years, 2015–2017. Flowering observations were made 3–7 times a week, from flower differentiation to flower desiccation, in a total of 43 plant individuals. Data were regressed against meteorological parameters and air pollutant levels in an attempt to identify the driving factors of flowering onset and offset. Flowering dates were compared with dates of the related airborne pollen seasons per taxon; airborne pollen monitoring took place daily using a Hirst-type volumetric sampler. The salient finding was that flowering occurred earlier during warmer years; it also started earlier at locations with higher urbanity, and peaked and ended earlier at sites with higher NO2 concentrations. Airborne pollen season of Betula spp. frequently did not coincide locally with the flowering period of Betula pendula: while flowering and pollen season were synchronized particularly in their onset, local flowering phenology alone could explain only 57.3% of the pollen season variability. This raises questions about the relationship between flowering times and airborne pollen seasons and on the rather underestimated role of the long-distance transport of pollen.

Airborne pollen are the most important aeroallergens worldwide. Because of climate change, pollen seasonality and abundance have been altering significantly, raising the fundamental question: when and how much is the pollen exposure increasing? To answer this, we applied a multi-resolution study design, from bi-hourly to yearly scale, investigating the diversity, abundance and temporal occurrence of airborne pollen. The whole spectrum of airborne pollen concentrations was registered during 2015–2017, using a 7-day recording Hirst-type volumetric trap. Monitoring took place at ground-level, where we mostly commute and reside, and at the ‘gold-standard’ rooftop-level (12 m above ground level), at resolutions: A) bi-hourly, B) daily. The biodiversity and the relative abundance of all taxa were assessed, and the first pollen season calendars, along with circadian calendars, for Augsburg, Germany, were developed. More than 40 pollen types were identified, of which 13 were the most abundant (>0.5% relative abundance each, accounting for a total of 91.8%). Biodiversity did not present any striking differences between heights, with pollen from Urticaceae, Betula and Poaceae representing consistently more than half of the regional atmospheric biodiversity. At rooftop-level, pollen abundances often appeared to be higher, particularly for Betula, Picea and Quercus. The main pollen season extended from March to October, with the highest peak occurring April–May. At rooftop-level, the pollen seasons of most taxa were observed earlier and the overall seasons were longer. Within the day, higher pollen concentrations were observed either at midday to early afternoon (Urticaceae, Poaceae, Plantago and mostly taxa at ground-level) or night to early morning, frequently with multi-modal diurnal patterns (Betula, Fraxinus and mostly taxa at rooftop-level). Our findings reveal that generalisation of abundance and temporal distribution patterns between ground-level and ‘gold-standard’ rooftop-level pollen measurements should be intensively reconsidered. While the pollen diversity and abundance may be well represented within this height range, the temporal occurrence is not, with pollen vertical variability being more important than originally anticipated. Hence, we need to reassess when and how much the relevant pollen exposure is increasing.

Biodiversity is a cornerstone of human health and well-being. However, while evidence of the contributions of nature to human health is rapidly building, research into how biodiversity relates to human health remains limited in important respects. In particular, a better mechanistic understanding of the range of pathways through which biodiversity can influence human health is needed. These pathways relate to both psychological and social processes as well as biophysical processes. Building on evidence from across the natural, social and health sciences, we present a conceptual framework organizing the pathways linking biodiversity to human health. Four domains of pathways - both beneficial as well as harmful - link biodiversity with human health: (i) reducing harm (e.g. provision of medicines, decreasing exposure to air and noise pollution); (ii) restoring capacities (e.g. attention restoration, stress reduction); (iii) building capacities (e.g. promoting physical activity, transcendent experiences); and (iv) causing harm (e.g. dangerous wildlife, zoonotic diseases, allergens). We discuss how to test components of the biodiversity-health framework with available analytical approaches and existing datasets. In a world with accelerating declines in biodiversity, profound land-use change, and an increase in non-communicable and zoonotic diseases globally, greater understanding of these pathways can reinforce biodiversity conservation as a strategy for the promotion of health for both people and nature. We conclude by identifying research avenues and recommendations for policy and practice to foster biodiversity-focused public health actions.

Pollen exposure weakens the immunity against certain seasonal respiratory viruses by diminishing the antiviral interferon response. Here we investigate whether the same applies to the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is sensitive to antiviral interferons, if infection waves coincide with high airborne pollen concentrations. Our original hypothesis was that more airborne pollen would lead to increases in infection rates. To examine this, we performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis on SARS-CoV-2 infection, airborne pollen, and meteorological factors. Our dataset is the most comprehensive, largest possible worldwide from 130 stations, across 31 countries and five continents. To explicitly investigate the effects of social contact, we additionally considered population density of each study area, as well as lockdown effects, in all possible combinations: without any lockdown, with mixed lockdown?no lockdown regime, and under complete lockdown. We found that airborne pollen, sometimes in synergy with humidity and temperature, explained, on average, 44% of the infection rate variability. Infection rates increased after higher pollen concentrations most frequently during the four previous days. Without lockdown, an increase of pollen abundance by 100 pollen/m3 resulted in a 4% average increase of infection rates. Lockdown halved infection rates under similar pollen concentrations. As there can be no preventive measures against airborne pollen exposure, we suggest wide dissemination of pollen?virus coexposure dire effect information to encourage high-risk individuals to wear particle filter masks during high springtime pollen concentrations. © 2021 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved., 1.1.1.2/VIAA/2/18/283; European Cooperation in Science and Technology, COST: CA18226; Academy of Finland, AKA: 318194, PS4A; Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, MECD: FPU15/01668; Department of the Environment, Australian Government; Lietuvos Mokslo Taryba; Ministarstvo Prosvete, Nauke i Tehnološkog Razvoja, MPNTR: 451-03-68/2020-14/200358; European Social Fund, ESF: 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-01-0066; Helmholtz Association; Christine Kühne – Center for Allergy Research and Education, CK-CARE, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We thank Mr. Luis-Leopold Moelter and Mr. Mehmet Gökkaya for assistance in overall data curation. The study was partly implemented in the frame of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (EU-COST) program, "New approaches in detection of pathogens and aeroallergens (ADOPT)," Grant CA18226 (EU Framework Program Horizon 2020). D.B. and C.T.-H. were supported by the Helmholtz Climate Initiative (HI-CAM), Mitigation and Adaptation. A.Ch. and D.V. were supported by the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece (Directorate for the Management of the Urban Environment, Department of Environment). This research has been partly supported by the European Social Fund (Project 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-01-0066) under grant agreement with the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT). The study was also partly conducted within the frame of the project of the European Community European Regional Development Fund (EC ERDF) and PostDoc Latvia (Grant 1.1.1.2/VIAA/2/18/283). M.S. acknowledges the Academy of Finland (Project PS4A, Grant 318194). We thank the Department of Health and Rehabilitation of Vinnytsia Regional Council, Ukraine, for providing the numbers of COVID-19 cases. A.H.A. acknowledges Angel Chaves and the Government of Navarra: Institute of Public and Labor Health of Navarra, within LIFE-IP NAdatpa-CC (LIFE16 IPC/ES/000001). A.P. was supported by a predoctoral grant financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain, in the Program for the Promotion of Talent and its Employability (Grant FPU15/01668). B.S. acknowledges the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Grant 451-03-68/2020-14/200358). C.T.H. acknowledges the Christine Kühne–Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), and The Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Association (Immunology & Inflammation). We thank Jan Bumberger, Marcus Karsten, Paul Remmler, Jan C. Simon, and Regina Treudler for data provision and curation from Leipzig, Germany. We thank Claudia Langford Brown and Dana Flanders for statistical advice and scientific discussions. We thank Penelope Jones, Edith Bucher, Reyhan Gumusburun, Haydar Soydaner Karakus, Su Ozgur, and Asli Tetik Vardarli for data curation.

Background Pollen exposure induces local and systemic allergic immune responses in sensitized individuals, but nonsensitized individuals also are exposed to pollen. The kinetics of symptom expression under natural pollen exposure have never been systematically studied, especially in subjects without allergy. Objective We monitored the humoral immune response under natural pollen exposure to potentially uncover nasal biomarkers for in-season symptom severity and identify protective factors. Methods We compared humoral immune response kinetics in a panel study of subjects with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and subjects without allergy and tested for cross-sectional and interseasonal differences in levels of serum and nasal, total, and Betula verrucosa 1–specific immunoglobulin isotypes; immunoglobulin free light chains; cytokines; and chemokines. Nonsupervised principal component analysis was performed for all nasal immune variables, and single immune variables were correlated with in-season symptom severity by Spearman test. Results Symptoms followed airborne pollen concentrations in subjects with SAR, with a time lag between 0 and 13 days depending on the pollen type. Of the 7 subjects with nonallergy, 4 also exhibited in-season symptoms whereas 3 did not. Cumulative symptoms in those without allergy were lower than in those with SAR but followed the pollen exposure with similar kinetics. Nasal eotaxin-2, CCL22/MDC, and monocyte chemoattactant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels were higher in subjects with SAR, whereas IL-8 levels were higher in subjects without allergy. Principal component analysis and Spearman correlations identified nasal levels of IL-8, IL-33, and Betula verrucosa 1–specific IgG4 (sIgG4) and Betula verrucosa 1–specific IgE (sIgE) antibodies as predictive for seasonal symptom severity. Conclusions Nasal pollen–specific IgA and IgG isotypes are potentially protective within the humoral compartment. Nasal levels of IL-8, IL-33, sIgG4 and sIgE could be predictive biomarkers for pollen-specific symptom expression, irrespective of atopy.

Flowering and pollen seasons are sensitive to environmental variability and are considered climate change indicators. However, it has not been concluded to what extent flowering phenology is indeed reflected in airborne pollen season locally. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the commonly represented in temperate climates and with highly allergenic pollen Betula pendula Roth, the responsiveness of flowering to different environmental regimes and also to check for commensurate changes in the respective pollen seasons. The region of Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, was initially screened for birch trees, which were geolocated at a radius of 25 km. Random trees across the city were then investigated during three full flowering years, 2015–2017. Flowering observations were made 3–7 times a week, from flower differentiation to flower desiccation, in a total of 43 plant individuals. Data were regressed against meteorological parameters and air pollutant levels in an attempt to identify the driving factors of flowering onset and offset. Flowering dates were compared with dates of the related airborne pollen seasons per taxon, airborne pollen monitoring took place daily using a Hirst-type volumetric sampler. The salient finding was that flowering occurred earlier during warmer years, it also started earlier at locations with higher urbanity, and peaked and ended earlier at sites with higher NO2 concentrations. Airborne pollen season of Betula spp. frequently did not coincide locally with the flowering period of Betula pendula: while flowering and pollen season were synchronized particularly in their onset, local flowering phenology alone could explain only 57.3% of the pollen season variability. This raises questions about the relationship between flowering times and airborne pollen seasons and on the rather underestimated role of the long-distance transport of pollen.

Background: The analysis of mobile health (mHealth) data has generated innovative insights into improving allergic rhinitis control, but additive information is needed. A cross-sectional real-world observational study was undertaken in 17 European countries during and outside the estimated pollen season. The aim was to collect novel information including the phenotypic characteristics of the users. Methods: The Allergy Diary-MASK-air-mobile phone app, freely available via Google Play and App, was used to collect the data of daily visual analogue scales (VASs) for overall allergic symptoms and medication use. Fluticasone Furoate (FF), Mometasone Furoate (MF), Azelastine Fluticasone Proprionate combination (MPAzeFlu) and eight oral H1-antihistamines were studied. Phenotypic characteristics were recorded at entry. The ARIA severity score was derived from entry data. This was an a priori planned analysis. Results: 9037 users filled in 70,286 days of VAS in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The ARIA severity score was lower outside than during the pollen season. Severity was similar for all treatment groups during the pollen season, and lower in the MPAzeFlu group outside the pollen season. Days with MPAzeFlu had lower VAS levels and a higher frequency of monotherapy than the other treatments during the season. Outside the season, days with MPAzeFlu also had a higher frequency of monotherapy. The number of reported days was significantly higher with MPAzeFlu during and outside the season than with MF, FF or oral H1-antihistamines. Conclusions: This study shows that the overall efficacy of treatments is similar during and outside the pollen season and indicates that medications are similarly effective during the year.

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