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Hrabovský M, Kubalová S, Mičieta K, Ščevková J. Environmental impacts on intraspecific variation in Ambrosia artemisiifolia genome size in Slovakia, Central Europe. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024:10.1007/s11356-024-33410-x. [PMID: 38693457 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33410-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
The quantity of DNA in angiosperms exhibits variation attributed to many external influences, such as environmental factors, geographical features, or stress factors, which exert constant selection pressure on organisms. Since invasive species possess adaptive capabilities to acclimate to novel environmental conditions, ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) was chosen as a subject for investigating their influence on genome size variation. Slovakia has diverse climatic conditions, suitable for testing the hypothesis that air temperature and precipitation, the main limiting factors of ragweed occurrence, would also have an impact on its genome size. Our results using flow cytometry confirmed this hypothesis and also found a significant association with geographical features such as latitude, altitude, and longitude. We can conclude that plants growing in colder environments farther from oceanic influences exhibit smaller DNA amounts, while optimal growth conditions result in a greater variability in genome size, reflecting the diminished effect of selection pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Hrabovský
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Silvia Kubalová
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Karol Mičieta
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Zahradníková E, Rendeková A, Ščevková J. Temporal variation of allergenic potential in urban parks during the vegetation period: a case study from Bratislava, Slovakia. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024; 31:2026-2041. [PMID: 38052730 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31137-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Park greenery represents an oasis for urban residents; however, during the flowering period of trees that produce allergenic pollen grains, these areas threaten individuals suffering from seasonal allergic respiratory diseases. In this study, we evaluated the temporal distribution of the allergenic potential of three most important urban parks in Bratislava over the vegetation period, using a modification of the Urban Green Zone Allergenicity Index (IUGZA) and Individual-Specific Allergenic Potential Index (IISA) designed as a running index - rIUGZA and rIISA. We found that rIUGZA gives better information for park management and revitalization, since it considers the potential size of woody plants, while rIISA, considering the actual size of the vegetation, provides more relevant information for pollen-allergy sufferers. Based on rIISA, the allergenic potential was highest in May for the Grassalkovich Garden (formal baroque garden) and Janko Kráľ Park (English landscape park) and in April for the Medic Garden (repurposed baroque garden). We also found differences in the duration of the period of increased allergenic potential in these parks, ranging from 1 to 3 months. Based on the total annual sums of rIISA, we found the highest allergenic potential in the Medic Garden and lowest in the Janko Kráľ Park. This variance is caused mainly by the different density of trees and percentage of allergenic species. The biggest contributors to the allergenic potential were Platanus, Acer and Tilia. Based on the information on temporal variation of the allergenic potential during the vegetation period provided by the running indices, it is possible to improve the planning of park revitalization based on the flowering period of allergenic species and provide better information to the pollen-allergy sufferers for minimizing the allergenic effect of urban green areas on their health during a particular month.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Zahradníková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Alena Rendeková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
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3
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Makra L, Matyasovszky I, Tusnády G, Ziska LH, Hess JJ, Nyúl LG, Chapman DS, Coviello L, Gobbi A, Jurman G, Furlanello C, Brunato M, Damialis A, Charalampopoulos A, Müller-Schärer H, Schneider N, Szabó B, Sümeghy Z, Páldy A, Magyar D, Bergmann KC, Deák ÁJ, Mikó E, Thibaudon M, Oliver G, Albertini R, Bonini M, Šikoparija B, Radišić P, Josipović MM, Gehrig R, Severova E, Shalaboda V, Stjepanović B, Ianovici N, Berger U, Seliger AK, Rybníček O, Myszkowska D, Dąbrowska-Zapart K, Majkowska-Wojciechowska B, Weryszko-Chmielewska E, Grewling Ł, Rapiejko P, Malkiewicz M, Šaulienė I, Prykhodo O, Maleeva A, Rodinkova V, Palamarchuk O, Ščevková J, Bullock JM. A temporally and spatially explicit, data-driven estimation of airborne ragweed pollen concentrations across Europe. Sci Total Environ 2023; 905:167095. [PMID: 37748607 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Ongoing and future climate change driven expansion of aeroallergen-producing plant species comprise a major human health problem across Europe and elsewhere. There is an urgent need to produce accurate, temporally dynamic maps at the continental level, especially in the context of climate uncertainty. This study aimed to restore missing daily ragweed pollen data sets for Europe, to produce phenological maps of ragweed pollen, resulting in the most complete and detailed high-resolution ragweed pollen concentration maps to date. To achieve this, we have developed two statistical procedures, a Gaussian method (GM) and deep learning (DL) for restoring missing daily ragweed pollen data sets, based on the plant's reproductive and growth (phenological, pollen production and frost-related) characteristics. DL model performances were consistently better for estimating seasonal pollen integrals than those of the GM approach. These are the first published modelled maps using altitude correction and flowering phenology to recover missing pollen information. We created a web page (http://euragweedpollen.gmf.u-szeged.hu/), including daily ragweed pollen concentration data sets of the stations examined and their restored daily data, allowing one to upload newly measured or recovered daily data. Generation of these maps provides a means to track pollen impacts in the context of climatic shifts, identify geographical regions with high pollen exposure, determine areas of future vulnerability, apply spatially-explicit mitigation measures and prioritize management interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- László Makra
- Institute of Economics and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, 6800 Hódmezővásárhely, Andrássy út 15, Hungary.
| | - István Matyasovszky
- Department of Meteorology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1518 Budapest, P.O.B. 32, Hungary.
| | - Gábor Tusnády
- Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, 1364 Budapest, P.O.B 127, Hungary.
| | - Lewis H Ziska
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
| | - Jeremy J Hess
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
| | - László G Nyúl
- Department of Image Processing and Computer Graphics, University of Szeged, 6701 Szeged, P.O.B. 652, Hungary.
| | - Daniel S Chapman
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK.
| | - Luca Coviello
- University of Trento and Enogis s.r.l., Trento, Italy.
| | | | | | | | - Mauro Brunato
- Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
| | - Athanasios Damialis
- Terrestrial Ecology and Climate Change, Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Athanasios Charalampopoulos
- Terrestrial Ecology and Climate Change, Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Heinz Müller-Schärer
- Departement of Biology, Unit of Ecology and Evolution, University of Fribourg, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Norbert Schneider
- Institute of Economics and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, 6800 Hódmezővásárhely, Andrássy út 15, Hungary
| | - Bence Szabó
- Institute of Economics and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, 6800 Hódmezővásárhely, Andrássy út 15, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Sümeghy
- Institute of Economics and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, 6800 Hódmezővásárhely, Andrássy út 15, Hungary
| | - Anna Páldy
- National Institute of Environmental Health, 1097 Budapest, Albert Flórián út 2-6, Hungary.
| | - Donát Magyar
- National Institute of Environmental Health, 1097 Budapest, Albert Flórián út 2-6, Hungary
| | | | - Áron József Deák
- Institute of Economics and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, 6800 Hódmezővásárhely, Andrássy út 15, Hungary.
| | - Edit Mikó
- Institute of Animal Science and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, 6800 Hódmezővásárhely, Andrássy út 15, Hungary.
| | - Michel Thibaudon
- Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique, 11 chemin de la Creuzille, Le Plat du Pin, 696905 Brussieu, France
| | - Gilles Oliver
- Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique, 11 chemin de la Creuzille, Le Plat du Pin, 696905 Brussieu, France.
| | - Roberto Albertini
- Laboratory of Hygiene and Aerobiology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, U.O. Medicina Interna di Continuità, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy.
| | - Maira Bonini
- Department of Hygiene and Health Prevention, ATS (Agency for Health Protection of Metropolitan Area of Milan), Hygiene and Public Health Service, via Spagliardi 19, Parabiago, 20015 Milan, Italy.
| | - Branko Šikoparija
- BioSensе Institute - Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Dr. Zorana Đinđića 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
| | - Predrag Radišić
- BioSensе Institute - Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Dr. Zorana Đinđića 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Mirjana Mitrović Josipović
- Ministry of Environmental Protection, Environmental Protection Agency, 11000 Belgrade, Ruže Jovanoviüa 27a, Serbia.
| | - Regula Gehrig
- Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA, Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Operation Center 1, P.O. Box, CH-8058, Zurich-Airport, Switzerland.
| | - Elena Severova
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Biological Faculty, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Valentina Shalaboda
- State Institution (Scientific and Practical Center (SPC) of the State Forensic Examination Committee of the Republic of Belarus, Akademicheskaya Str. 27, 220072 Minsk, Belarus
| | - Barbara Stjepanović
- Teaching Institut of Public Health "Dr Andrija Śtampar", 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Nicoleta Ianovici
- West University of Timişoara, Blvd. V. Parvan 4, 300223 Timişoara, Romania.
| | - Uwe Berger
- Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, HNO Klinik, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Andreja Kofol Seliger
- National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Center for Environment and Health, Department for Air, Noise, Environmental Impact Assessment and Aerobiology, Grablovičeva ulica 44, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Ondřej Rybníček
- Pediatric Department, University Hospital and Masaryk University, Brno, Jihlavská 20, 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Dorota Myszkowska
- Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Department of Clinical and Environmental Allergology, 31-531 Kraków, ul. Kopernika 15A, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Dąbrowska-Zapart
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Bedzinska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland.
| | - Barbara Majkowska-Wojciechowska
- Aeroallergen Monitoring Centre "AMoC", Department of Immunology, Rheumatology and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland.
| | | | - Łukasz Grewling
- Laboratory of Aerobiology, Department of Systematic and Environmental Botany, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
| | | | - Malgorzata Malkiewicz
- Department of Palaeobotany, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Ingrida Šaulienė
- Vilnius University, Siauliai Academy, Vytauto 84, LT-76352, Siauliai, Lithuania.
| | - Olexander Prykhodo
- Department of Medical Biology, Zaporizhia State Medical University, 69035 Zaporizhia, Ukraine
| | - Anna Maleeva
- Department of Medical Biology, Zaporizhia State Medical University, 69035 Zaporizhia, Ukraine
| | - Victoria Rodinkova
- National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya, 56 Pirogov street, Vinnytsia 21018, Ukraine.
| | - Olena Palamarchuk
- National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya, 56 Pirogov street, Vinnytsia 21018, Ukraine
| | - Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Comenius University, Šafárikovo námestie 6, 81806 Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - James M Bullock
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford OX10 8BB, UK.
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Žilka M, Tropeková M, Zahradníková E, Kováčik Ľ, Ščevková J. Temporal variation in the spectrum and concentration of airborne microalgae and cyanobacteria in the urban environments of inland temperate climate. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2023; 30:97616-97628. [PMID: 37594706 PMCID: PMC10495494 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-29341-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Despite their non-negligible representation among the airborne bioparticles and known allergenicity, autotrophic microorganisms-microalgae and cyanobacteria-are not commonly reported or studied by aerobiological monitoring stations due to the challenging identification in their desiccated and fragmented state. Using a gravimetric method with open plates at the same time as Hirst-type volumetric bioparticle sampler, we were able to cultivate the autotrophic microorganisms and use it as a reference for correct retrospective identification of the microalgae and cyanobacteria captured by the volumetric trap. Only in this way, reliable data on their presence in the air of a given area can be obtained and analysed with regard to their temporal variation and environmental factors. We gained these data for an inland temperate region over 3 years (2018, 2020-2021), identifying the microalgal genera Bracteacoccus, Desmococcus, Geminella, Chlorella, Klebsormidium, and Stichococcus (Chlorophyta) and cyanobacterium Nostoc in the volumetric trap samples and three more in the cultivated samples. The mean annual concentration recorded over 3 years was 19,182 cells*day/m3, with the greatest contribution from the genus Bracteacoccus (57%). Unlike some other bioparticles like pollen grains, autotrophic microorganisms were present in the samples over the course of the whole year, with greatest abundance in February and April. The peak daily concentration reached the highest value (1011 cells/m3) in 2021, while the mean daily concentration during the three analysed years was 56 cells/m3. The analysis of intra-diurnal patterns showed their increased presence in daylight hours, with a peak between 2 and 4 p.m. for most genera, which is especially important due to their potential to trigger allergy symptoms. From the environmental factors, wind speed had a most significant positive association with their concentration, while relative air humidity had a negative influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matúš Žilka
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Mária Tropeková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Eva Zahradníková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ľubomír Kováčik
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Ščevková J, Dušička J, Zahradníková E, Sepšiová R, Kováč J, Vašková Z. Impact of meteorological parameters and air pollutants on airborne concentration of Betula pollen and Bet v 1 allergen. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2023; 30:95438-95448. [PMID: 37544949 PMCID: PMC10482788 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-29061-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The intensity of birch pollen season is expressed by seasonal pollen integral (SPIn, the sum of the mean daily pollen concentration during the birch pollination period) and the amount of Bet v 1 allergen released per birch pollen grain expressed by pollen allergen potency (PAP). Betula pollen and Bet v 1 allergen were simultaneously measured in the air of Bratislava from 2019 to 2022 by using two Burkard traps (Hirst-type and cyclone) in order to evaluate the causes of the seasonal variation in the SPIn and PAP levels. The highest SPIn (19,975 pollen/m3) was observed in 2022 and the lowest one (1484 pollen/m3) in 2021. The average daily PAP level (4.0 pg Bet v 1/pollen) was highest in 2019 and lowest (2.5 pg Bet v 1/pollen) in 2020. We found that seasonal variation in SPIn was associated mainly with the changes in environmental conditions during the pre-season period, whereas the year-to-year variation in PAP levels was attributed to environmental conditions during both pre- and in-season periods. Our results indicate that rainy weather in June 2020 and cold overcast weather in January‒February 2021 resulted in low SPIn in 2021. On the other hand, dry weather in June 2021 and warm weather in January‒February 2022 resulted in high SPIn in 2022. The low average daily PAP level in 2020 was associated with (1) low levels of gaseous air pollutants in March, when the ripening of pollen takes place; (2) an earlier start of the birch main pollen season (MPS); and (3) dry weather during the MPS. On the other hand, high PAP level in 2019 was associated with higher levels of air pollutants in March and during the MPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Dušička
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Eva Zahradníková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Regina Sepšiová
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Kováč
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, Mlynská Dolina, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Zuzana Vašková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Hidalgo-Triana N, Picornell A, Reyes S, Circella G, Ribeiro H, Bates AE, Rojo J, Pearman PB, Vivancos JMA, Nautiyal S, Brearley FQ, Pereña J, Ferragud M, Monroy-Colín A, Maya-Manzano JM, Ouachinou JMAS, Salvo-Tierra AE, Antunes C, Trigo-Pérez M, Navarro T, Jaramillo P, Oteros J, Charalampopoulos A, Kalantzi OI, Freitas H, Ščevková J, Zanolla M, Marrano A, Comino O, Roldán JJ, Alcántara AF, Damialis A. Perceptions of change in the environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for environmental policy. Environ Impact Assess Rev 2023; 99:107013. [PMID: 36532697 PMCID: PMC9744709 DOI: 10.1016/j.eiar.2022.107013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 lockdown measures have impacted the environment with both positive and negative effects. However, how human populations have perceived such changes in the natural environment and how they may have changed their daily habits have not been yet thoroughly evaluated. The objectives of this work were to investigate (1) the social perception of the environmental changes produced by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and the derived change in habits in relation to i) waste management, energy saving, and sustainable consumption, ii) mobility, iii) social inequalities, iv) generation of noise, v) utilization of natural spaces, and, vi) human population perception towards the future, and (2) the associations of these potential new habits with various socio-demographic variables. First, a SWOT analysis identified strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T) generated by the pandemic lockdown measures. Second, a survey based on the aspects of the SWOT was administered among 2370 adults from 37 countries during the period from February to September 2021. We found that the short-term positive impacts on the natural environment were generally well recognized. In contrast, longer-term negative effects arise, but they were often not reported by the survey participants, such as greater production of plastic waste derived from health safety measures, and the increase in e-commerce use, which can displace small storefront businesses. We were able to capture a mismatch between perceptions and the reported data related to visits to natural areas, and generation of waste. We found that age and country of residence were major contributors in shaping the survey participants ´answers, which highlights the importance of government management strategies to address current and future environmental problems. Enhanced positive perceptions of the environment and ecosystems, combined with the understanding that livelihood sustainability, needs to be prioritized and would reinforce environmental protection policies to create greener cities. Moreover, new sustainable jobs in combination with more sustainable human habits represent an opportunity to reinforce environmental policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Hidalgo-Triana
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - A Picornell
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - S Reyes
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, Department of Geography (Geographic Analysis Research Group), 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - G Circella
- Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, USA
- Department of Geography, Ghent University. 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - H Ribeiro
- Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Plannings, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto and Earth Sciences Institute (ICT), Pole of the Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal
| | - A E Bates
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - J Rojo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - P B Pearman
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Bizkaia 48940, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
- BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change, Scientific Campus, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - J M Artes Vivancos
- Department of Chemistry, Kennedy College of Sciences, UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
| | - S Nautiyal
- Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Nagarabhavi, Bengaluru 560 072, India
| | - F Q Brearley
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD, UK
| | - J Pereña
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - M Ferragud
- University of Valencia, Faculty of Sciences, Spain
| | - A Monroy-Colín
- University of Extremadura, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Vegetal Biology, Ecology and Earth Science (Botany Area), 06006 Badajoz, Spain
| | - J M Maya-Manzano
- University of Valencia, Faculty of Sciences, Spain
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center, Munich, Germany
- University of Extremadura, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Vegetal Biology, Ecology and Earth Science (Botany Area), 06006 Badajoz, Spain
| | - J M A Sènami Ouachinou
- Laboratoire de Botanique et Ecologie Végétale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Universite d'Abomey-Calavi, Benin
| | - A E Salvo-Tierra
- Technical Director Chair Climate Change on UMA, University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - C Antunes
- Department of Medical and Health Sciences, School of Health and Human Development & Institute of Earth Sciences - ICT, University of Évora, Evora, Portugal
| | - M Trigo-Pérez
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - T Navarro
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - P Jaramillo
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, 200102, Ecuador
| | - J Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
| | - A Charalampopoulos
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - O I Kalantzi
- Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Mytilene 81100, Greece
| | - H Freitas
- University of Coimbra, Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - J Ščevková
- Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Révová 39, 811 02 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - M Zanolla
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - A Marrano
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, Fremont, CA, USA
| | - O Comino
- Estudios de Flora y Vegetación SL (EFYVE), 29580 Cártama, Málaga, Spain
| | - J J Roldán
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - A F Alcántara
- Centro de Cooperación del Mediterráneo de UICN, 29590 Campanillas, Málaga, Spain
| | - A Damialis
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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7
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Ščevková J, Vašková Z, Dušička J, Žilka M, Zvaríková M. Co-occurrence of airborne biological and anthropogenic pollutants in the central European urban ecosystem. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2023; 30:26523-26534. [PMID: 36367655 PMCID: PMC9651122 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24048-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between organic and inorganic air pollutants, enhanced by the impact of weather parameters, may worsen the respiratory allergy symptoms in allergy sufferers. Pollen grains and fungal spores belong to some of the most crucial aeroallergens. Other allergenic bioparticles in the atmospheric microbiome can include microalgae, fern spores and mites. In this study, we evaluated if and to what extent air pollutants and weather parameters drive the daily variation in airborne concentrations of broad spectrum of bioparticles (pollen grains, fungal spores, microalgae, fern spores and invertebrates) in the air of Bratislava over 3 years, 2019-2021. Air samples were collected using a Hirst-type volumetric sampler. Based on the results of Spearman's correlation analysis, air temperature seems to be the most influential meteorological factor, positively associated with the concentration of all types of bioparticles at assemblage level, even though the association with microalgae was negative. Wind speed, known to have a diluting effect on most airborne particles, appears to be the most influential for microalgae, as their concentration in the air increases along with rising wind speed. Considering air pollutants, correlation analysis revealed that as the daily concentrations of ozone, PM10, CO and/or NO2 increased, so did the levels of most types of analysed bioaerosols at the assemblage level. Regarding that bioparticles may act as carriers for inorganic particles and amplify their allergenic impact, a concomitant increment in the airborne concentration of both organic and inorganic pollutants poses a threat to allergy sufferers in the study area. The concentration of microalgae, on the other hand, decreases with rising levels of CO, NO2 and PM10; thereby, their synergistic effect on allergy sufferers is negligible. Based on our findings, we suggest that the response of pollen and fungal spore concentration to environmental conditions should be investigated at the taxon, not the assemblage level, as each pollen/spore taxon has a different pattern in response to meteorological parameters and air pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Ščevková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Zuzana Vašková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Dušička
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Matúš Žilka
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Martina Zvaríková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Environmental Ecology and Landscape Management, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
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8
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Magyar D, Novák R, Udvardy O, Páldy A, Szigeti T, Stjepanović B, Hrga I, Večenaj A, Vucić A, Peroš Pucar D, Šikoparija B, Radišić P, Škorić T, Ščevková J, Simon-Csete E, Nagy M, Leelőssy Á. Unusual early peaks of airborne ragweed (Ambrosia L.) pollen in the Pannonian Biogeographical Region. Int J Biometeorol 2022; 66:2195-2203. [PMID: 36053297 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-022-02348-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Early peaks of airborne ragweed (Ambrosia L.) pollen concentrations were observed at several monitoring stations in Hungary in June 2017 and 2018, one month before the usual start of the pollen season at the end of July. Backward trajectories were calculated to simulate potential sources of pollen collected at different locations in the Pannonian Biogeographical Region. In a collaboration between aerobiological and phenological networks, a nationwide campaign was conducted to collect field data of ragweed blooming. During field surveys, ragweed plants having extremely early blooming were found most abundantly in a rural site near Vaja (North-East Hungary) and other locations in Hungary. Field observations matched with source areas identified by trajectory analyses; i.e., early-flowering ragweed plants were found at some of these locations. Although similar peaks of airborne pollen concentrations were not detected in other years (e.g., 2016, 2019-2021), alarming results suggest the possibility of expanding seasons of ragweed allergy.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Magyar
- National Public Health Center, Hungarian Aerobiological Network, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - R Novák
- National Food Chain Safety Office, Directorate of Plant Protection, Soil Conservation and Agri-Environment, Budapest, Hungary
| | - O Udvardy
- National Public Health Center, Hungarian Aerobiological Network, Budapest, Hungary
| | - A Páldy
- National Public Health Center, Hungarian Aerobiological Network, Budapest, Hungary
| | - T Szigeti
- National Public Health Center, Hungarian Aerobiological Network, Budapest, Hungary
| | - B Stjepanović
- Andrija Stampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - I Hrga
- Andrija Stampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - A Večenaj
- Andrija Stampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - A Vucić
- Institute of Public Health Zadar, Zadar, Croatia
| | | | - B Šikoparija
- BioSense Institute - Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - P Radišić
- BioSense Institute - Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - T Škorić
- Public Health Institute, Subotica, Serbia
| | - J Ščevková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - E Simon-Csete
- Department of Plant and Soil Protection, Government Office of Pest County, Budapest, Hungary
| | - M Nagy
- Department of Plant Health, Government Office of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, Nyíregyháza, Hungary
| | - Á Leelőssy
- National Public Health Center, Hungarian Aerobiological Network, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Meteorology, Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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9
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Ščevková J, Vašková Z, Dušička J, Hrabovský M. Fern spores: neglected airborne bioparticles threatening human health in urban environments. Urban Ecosyst 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01263-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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10
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Grewling Ł, Magyar D, Chłopek K, Grinn-Gofroń A, Gwiazdowska J, Siddiquee A, Ianovici N, Kasprzyk I, Wójcik M, Lafférsová J, Majkowska-Wojciechowska B, Myszkowska D, Rodinkova V, Bortnyk M, Malkiewicz M, Piotrowska-Weryszko K, Sulborska-Różycka A, Rybniček O, Ščevková J, Šikoparija B, Skjøth CA, Smith M, Bogawski P. Bioaerosols on the atmospheric super highway: An example of long distance transport of Alternaria spores from the Pannonian Plain to Poland. Sci Total Environ 2022; 819:153148. [PMID: 35041944 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Alternaria spores are pathogenic to agricultural crops, and the longest and the most severe sporulation seasons are predominantly recorded in rural areas, e.g. the Pannonian Plain (PP) in South-Central Europe. In Poland (Central Europe), airborne Alternaria spore concentrations peak between July and August. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the PP is the source of Alternaria spores recorded in Poland after the main sporulation season (September-October). Airborne Alternaria spores (2005-2019) were collected using volumetric Hirst spore traps located in 38 locations along the potential pathways of air masses, i.e. from Serbia, Romania and Hungary, through the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine, to Northern Poland. Three potential episodes of Long Distance Transport (LDT) were selected and characterized in detail, including the analysis of Alternaria spore data, back trajectory analysis, dispersal modelling, and description of local weather and mesoscale synoptic conditions. During selected episodes, increases in Alternaria spore concentrations in Poznań were recorded at unusual times that deviated from the typical diurnal pattern, i.e. at night or during morning hours. Alternaria spore concentrations on the PP were very high (>1000 spores/m3) at that time. The presence of non-local Ambrosia pollen, common to the PP, were also observed in the air. Air mass trajectory analysis and dispersal modelling showed that the northwest part of the PP, north of the Transdanubian Mountains, was the potential source area of Alternaria spores. Our results show that Alternaria spores are transported over long distances from the PP to Poland. These spores may markedly increase local exposure to Alternaria spores in the receptor area and pose a risk to both human and plant health. Alternaria spores followed the same atmospheric route as previously described LDT ragweed pollen, revealing the existence of an atmospheric super highway that transports bioaerosols from the south to the north of Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Grewling
- Laboratory of Aerobiology, Department of Systematic and Environmental Botany, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Donat Magyar
- National Public Health Institute, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | - Julia Gwiazdowska
- Laboratory of Aerobiology, Department of Systematic and Environmental Botany, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Asad Siddiquee
- Laboratory of Aerobiology, Department of Systematic and Environmental Botany, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Nicoleta Ianovici
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biology, and Geography, West University of Timisoara, Romania
| | - Idalia Kasprzyk
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Magdalena Wójcik
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Janka Lafférsová
- Department of Environmental Biology, Public Health Office, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | | | - Dorota Myszkowska
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Department of Clinical and Environmental Allergology, Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Mykyta Bortnyk
- National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya, Ukraine; Vasyl' Stus Donetsk National University, Vinnytsia, Ukraine
| | | | | | | | - Ondrej Rybniček
- Paediatric Department, Allergy Unit, Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Branko Šikoparija
- BioSense Institute - Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Carsten Ambelas Skjøth
- School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom
| | - Matt Smith
- School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom
| | - Paweł Bogawski
- Laboratory of Biological Spatial Information, Department of Systematic and Environmental Botany, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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11
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Ščevková J, Vašková Z, Sepšiová R, Kováč J. Seasonal variation in the allergenic potency of airborne grass pollen in Bratislava (Slovakia) urban environment. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2021; 28:62583-62592. [PMID: 34212332 PMCID: PMC8248954 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15179-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The Phl p 5 allergen of the plant species Phleum pratense is considered one of the most crucial grass pollen allergenic molecules inducing respiratory allergies. In this study, we evaluated seasonal variation in the concentration of both grass pollen and Phl p 5 allergens as well as the ratio allergen/pollen (pollen potency) in the air of Bratislava during two consecutive years, 2019-2020. These 2 years differed in terms of air pollution, as COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020 considerably improved air quality in the study area. Air samples were collected using a Hirst-type sampler for pollen detection and the cyclone sampler for aeroallergen detection. In 2020, we observed 80.3% higher seasonal pollen integral, probably associated with the longer pollen season duration, however, 43.6% lower mean daily pollen potency than in 2019. The mean daily pollen value was 37.5% higher in 2020 than in the previous year, while the mean daily allergen value was 14.9% lower in 2020. To evaluate the relationship between the amount of pollen or allergen in the air and selected meteorological factors and air pollution parameters, we used multiple regression analysis. Regarding weather factors, precipitation and relative humidity were significantly associated with pollen and/or allergen concentration, though these associations were negative. Atmospheric pollutants, especially CO, NO2 and O3 were significantly associated with pollen and/or allergen levels. The associations with CO and O3 were positive, while the association with NO2 was negative. Our results indicate that for grasses, an air pollutant that has a significant positive relationship to the ratio of allergen/pollen is nitrogen dioxide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Ščevková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Zuzana Vašková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Regina Sepšiová
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Genetics, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Kováč
- Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
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12
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Stępalska D, Myszkowska D, Piotrowicz K, Kluska K, Chłopek K, Grewling Ł, Lafférsová J, Majkowska-Wojciechowska B, Malkiewicz M, Piotrowska-Weryszko K, Puc M, Rodinkova V, Rybníček O, Ščevková J, Voloshchuk K. High Ambrosia pollen concentrations in Poland respecting the long distance transport (LDT). Sci Total Environ 2020; 736:139615. [PMID: 32474278 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
High Ambrosia pollen concentrations in Poland rather rarely come from the local sources. The aim of this study was to define the temporal and spatial differences of the high Ambrosia pollen concentrations by creating models for the pollen transport from the distant sources. This study was thought to determine the direction of the air masses inflow into Poland, carrying Ambrosia pollen, from areas of the bordering countries with the pollen concentrations higher than iSTOTEN_n Poland. Pollen and meteorological datasets at 8 monitoring sites in Poland, and daily pollen concentrations at 11 sites in the Czech Republic, 5 sites in Slovakia and 3 sites in Ukraine were analysed recently. Days with concentrations ≥10 Pollen/m3 and concurrent meteorological situations were analysed in great deal. The HYSPLIT model was applied to compute backward trajectories up to 4 days backward (96 h) and at three altitudes: 20, 500 and 1000 m above ground level (a.g.l.). High pollen concentrations occur most frequently when the air masses inflow into Poland from southerly (S, SE, SW, 44%) and easterly (E, 6%) directions and in no advection situations (25%). In years with the highest frequency of days over 10 Pollen/m3, the prevailing directions of the pollen influx into Poland were from the South (2004-2006, 2008, 2011) but in one year (2014) from the East. Trajectories for the studied period show that air masses come most frequently from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Sometimes, the Ambrosia pollen transport happens from Ukraine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danuta Stępalska
- Institute of Botany, Jagiellonian University, Kopernika 27, 31-531 Kraków, Poland
| | - Dorota Myszkowska
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Department of Clinical and Environmental Allergology, Śniadeckich 10, 31-531 Kraków, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Piotrowicz
- Department of Climatology, Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-367 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Kluska
- Department of Environmental Monitoring, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 4, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Kazimiera Chłopek
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Silesia, Będzińska, 60 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland.
| | - Łukasz Grewling
- Laboratory of Aerobiology, Department of Systematic and Environmental Botany, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Janka Lafférsová
- Department of Environmental Biology, Public Health Office, Cesta k/nemocnici 25, 975-56 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | | | - Małgorzata Malkiewicz
- Department of Stratigraphical Geology, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Wrocław.
| | - Krystyna Piotrowska-Weryszko
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 15, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
| | - Małgorzata Puc
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, Felczaka 3c, 71-412 Szczecin, Poland.
| | - Victoria Rodinkova
- National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, 56, Pirogov Street, Vinnytsia 21018, Ukraine
| | - Ondřej Rybníček
- Paediatric Department, Allergy Unit, Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno, Jihlavska 20, CZ-625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Révová 39, 811 02 Bratislava 1, Slovakia.
| | - Kateryna Voloshchuk
- Department of Botany, Biological Faculty Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Kyryla Mefodiya Street, 8, Lviv, 79005, Ukraine
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13
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Puc M, Rapiejko P, Magyar D, Udvardy O, Ščevková J, Lafférsová J, Wolski T, Piotrowska-Weryszko K, Malkiewicz M, Siergiejko G, Dąbrowska-Zapart K, Ziemianin M, Kalinowska E, Szczygielski K, Wieczorkiewicz A, Lipiec A. Goosefoot – a plant that likes drought. The goosefoot family pollen season in 2019 in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.24292/01.ap.163180920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
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.
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14
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Ščevková J, Dušička J, Tropeková M, Kováč J. Summer storms and their effects on the spectrum and quantity of airborne bioparticles in Bratislava, Central Europe. Environ Monit Assess 2020; 192:537. [PMID: 32696086 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-08497-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A thunderstorm is a risk factor for severe respiratory allergy or asthma attacks in patients suffering from pollen/spore allergy. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the spectrum and quantity of pollen and fungal spores in the air of Bratislava during summer storms as well as the impact of selected environmental parameters on these changes. Pollen/spore samples were collected using a Burkard volumetric aerospore trap during summer 2016. To identify those types of pollen/spores that may harm human health during the storm episodes, we analysed how the concentration of individual bioparticles in the air changed during pre-storm/storm/post-storm periods. The effect of environmental variables on the concentration of selected pollen/spore types was evaluated through Spearman's correlation analysis. The results of our study suggest that thunderstorm-related respiratory allergy symptoms in the study area may be caused by (1) spores of Myxomycetes, the airborne concentration of which increases due to an increase in wind speed during the pre-storm period; (2) ruptured pollen and Diatripaceae spores, the concentration of which increases due to increase in precipitation and relative air humidity, respectively, during the storm period; and (3) spores of Fusarium and Leptosphaeria, the concentration of which increases due to increase in precipitation and air temperature, respectively, during the post-storm period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Ščevková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Jozef Dušička
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Mária Tropeková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Kováč
- Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
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15
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Ščevková J, Vašková Z, Sepšiová R, Dušička J, Kováč J. Relationship between Poaceae pollen and Phl p 5 allergen concentrations and the impact of weather variables and air pollutants on their levels in the atmosphere. Heliyon 2020; 6:e04421. [PMID: 32685736 PMCID: PMC7355991 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The sensitization to grass pollen is a known problem in European countries. Phl p 5 is an important allergen recognized by the majority of grass sensitized individuals. In this study, we evaluated daily variation in airborne Poaceae pollen and Phl p 5 allergen concentrations to determine whether airborne pollen concentrations alone are sufficient to reflect the actual allergenic potential of the air. The relationships between the mentioned pollen and allergen concentrations and associated environmental variables were also examined. The airborne particles were collected during the Poaceae flowering season in Bratislava in 2019. Pollen sampling was performed using a Hirst-type sampler, while a cyclone sampler was used for the aeroallergen capturing. Allergenic molecules were quantified by ELISA assay. The associations between pollen and allergen concentrations showed that these two variables are positively correlated; however, the correlation was not significant. We observed the concurrent occurrence of airborne pollen and allergen peaks on the same day. Nevertheless, during some days of the pollen season, the allergen concentrations did not correspond to the airborne pollen values. Moreover, the days with low pollen concentration but high pollen potency and vice versa were observed. The effect of selected environmental variables on daily pollen and allergen concentrations was evaluated through Spearman's correlation analysis. Of all meteorological variables considered, air temperature, precipitation, and relative air humidity were significantly correlated with airborne pollen and/or allergen concentrations. The association with air temperature was positive, while the negative association was observed with precipitation and relative air humidity. Among the atmospheric pollutants, O3 and PM10 were significantly and positively associated with both pollen and allergen concentrations, whereas CO and PM2.5 were significantly and positively associated only with pollen concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Ščevková
- Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Zuzana Vašková
- Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Regina Sepšiová
- Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Genetics, Ilkovičova 6, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Dušička
- Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Kováč
- Comenius University, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Mlynská dolina, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Ščevková J, Hrabovský M, Kováč J, Rosa S. Intradiurnal variation of predominant airborne fungal spore biopollutants in the Central European urban environment. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019; 26:34603-34612. [PMID: 31654304 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-06616-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Fungal spores are an important cause of allergic respiratory diseases worldwide. However, little is known about the intradiurnal pattern of spore concentrations of different fungal spore types in the air of the urban area. In this study, we evaluated bihourly variation in spore concentration of eight predominant fungal spore types in the atmosphere of Bratislava city (Agrocybe, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Coprinus, Exosporium, Epicoccum, Ganoderma, Leptosphaeria) with the aim to understand the relationships between the spore concentrations against associated environmental variables. Spore samples were collected using a Hirst-type volumetric aerospore trap from January to December 2016. Alternaria, Cladosporium, Epicoccum and Exosporium peaked during the daytime period between 10:00 and 16:00, while for Agrocybe, Ganoderma, Coprinus and Leptosphaeria, the nighttime peaks (20:00 and 04:00) were observed. Effect of a complex of environmental variables on bihourly concentrations of selected airborne fungal spore taxa was evaluated through multiple regression analysis. Air temperature, wind speed, sunshine duration and precipitation were positively associated with daytime spore types, while the association with nighttime spores was negative. In contrast, relative air humidity influenced negatively Exosporium daytime spore type but positively the Leptosphaeria nighttime spore type. Moreover, a circadian cycle of light and darkness was considered as an important predictor of nighttime spore levels. Among the atmospheric pollutants, PM10 was positively associated with all analysed daytime spores, while except for Leptosphaeria, O3 was negatively associated with nighttime spore types. NO2 and PM10 had mixed effects on nighttime spore levels. In general, air temperature, PM10 and wind speed were environmental parameters with great influence on airborne fungal spore concentration, being present in eight, seven and four regression models, respectively. Constructed regression models which the best explained variation in fungal spore concentrations were those for Ganoderma (R2 = 0.38) and Alternaria (R2 = 0.31).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Ščevková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Michal Hrabovský
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Kováč
- Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Samuel Rosa
- Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Sikoparija B, Skjøth CA, Celenk S, Testoni C, Abramidze T, Alm Kübler K, Belmonte J, Berger U, Bonini M, Charalampopoulos A, Damialis A, Clot B, Dahl Å, de Weger LA, Gehrig R, Hendrickx M, Hoebeke L, Ianovici N, Kofol Seliger A, Magyar D, Mányoki G, Milkovska S, Myszkowska D, Páldy A, Pashley CH, Rasmussen K, Ritenberga O, Rodinkova V, Rybníček O, Shalaboda V, Šaulienė I, Ščevková J, Stjepanović B, Thibaudon M, Verstraeten C, Vokou D, Yankova R, Smith M. Spatial and temporal variations in airborne Ambrosia pollen in Europe. Aerobiologia (Bologna) 2017; 33:181-189. [PMID: 28579673 PMCID: PMC5432595 DOI: 10.1007/s10453-016-9463-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The European Commission Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action FA1203 "SMARTER" aims to make recommendations for the sustainable management of Ambrosia across Europe and for monitoring its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The goal of the present study is to provide a baseline for spatial and temporal variations in airborne Ambrosia pollen in Europe that can be used for the management and evaluation of this noxious plant. The study covers the full range of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. distribution over Europe (39°N-60°N; 2°W-45°E). Airborne Ambrosia pollen data for the principal flowering period of Ambrosia (August-September) recorded during a 10-year period (2004-2013) were obtained from 242 monitoring sites. The mean sum of daily average airborne Ambrosia pollen and the number of days that Ambrosia pollen was recorded in the air were analysed. The mean and standard deviation (SD) were calculated regardless of the number of years included in the study period, while trends are based on those time series with 8 or more years of data. Trends were considered significant at p < 0.05. There were few significant trends in the magnitude and frequency of atmospheric Ambrosia pollen (only 8% for the mean sum of daily average Ambrosia pollen concentrations and 14% for the mean number of days Ambrosia pollen were recorded in the air). The direction of any trends varied locally and reflected changes in sources of the pollen, either in size or in distance from the monitoring station. Pollen monitoring is important for providing an early warning of the expansion of this invasive and noxious plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Sikoparija
- BioSense Institute - Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - C. A. Skjøth
- National Pollen and Aerobiology Unit, Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ UK
| | - S. Celenk
- Biology Department, Science Faculty, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey
| | - C. Testoni
- Local Health Authority Milano Città Metropolitana, Milan, Italy
| | - T. Abramidze
- Center of Allergy and Immunology, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - K. Alm Kübler
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J. Belmonte
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - U. Berger
- Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - M. Bonini
- Local Health Authority Milano Città Metropolitana, Milan, Italy
| | - A. Charalampopoulos
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - A. Damialis
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Chair and Institute of Environmental Medicine, UNIKA-T, Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Augsburg, Germany
| | - B. Clot
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Å. Dahl
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - L. A. de Weger
- Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - R. Gehrig
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - M. Hendrickx
- Belgian Aerobiology Network, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium
| | - L. Hoebeke
- Belgian Aerobiology Network, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium
| | - N. Ianovici
- Faculty of Chemistry-Biology-Geography, West University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania
| | - A. Kofol Seliger
- Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - D. Magyar
- National Public Health Center, Budapest, Hungary
| | - G. Mányoki
- National Public Health Center, Budapest, Hungary
| | - S. Milkovska
- Institute of Occupational Health - WHO Collaborating Center, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
| | - D. Myszkowska
- Department of Clinical and Environmental Allergology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
| | - A. Páldy
- National Public Health Center, Budapest, Hungary
| | - C. H. Pashley
- Institute for Lung Health, Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | | | - O. Ritenberga
- Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
| | - V. Rodinkova
- Vinnitsa National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnitsa, Ukraine
| | - O. Rybníček
- Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - V. Shalaboda
- V. F. Kuprevich Institute for Experimental Botany of the NAS of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
| | - I. Šaulienė
- Department of Environmental Research, Siauliai University, Šiauliai, Lithuania
| | - J. Ščevková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - B. Stjepanović
- Institute of Public Health “Dr Andrija Štampar”, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - M. Thibaudon
- Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique (R.N.S.A.), Brussieu, France
| | - C. Verstraeten
- Belgian Aerobiology Network, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium
| | - D. Vokou
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - R. Yankova
- Clinical Center of Allergology, University Hospital Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - M. Smith
- Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ UK
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Hrabovský M, Ščevková J, Mičieta K, Lafférsová J, Dušička J. Expansion and aerobiology of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. in Slovakia. Ann Agric Environ Med 2016; 23:64-70. [PMID: 27007519 DOI: 10.5604/12321966.1196854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE The invasive alien species Ambrosia artemisiifolia cause environmental, agronomical and medical problems in many regions of the world, including Slovakia. The purpose of this study was to survey the spread and distribution of this species in Slovakia and to analyse its airborne pollen pattern. MATERIALS AND METHODS To evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of Ambrosia invasion in the territory of Slovakia, herbarium specimens, published databases and field investigations were considered. Aerobiological sampling was based on the analysis of pollen records at five aerobiological stations in Slovakia. For Bratislava and Banská Bystrica Monitoring stations, trends in Ambrosia pollen seasons were determined using Mann-Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator. RESULTS Since the first record of A. artemisiifolia in Slovakia, the number of its colonies and its spread rate has increased considerably, and the colonisation of this species has been successful mainly in the south-western part of the country. Highest airborne pollen counts were recorded in Nitra, Trnava and Bratislava Monitoring Stations situated in the areas most infested by A. artemisiifolia in Slovakia. However, high pollen counts were also noted in Banská Bystrica and Košice Monitoring Stations situated in areas where the source species was less abundant. During the study period, the number of days on which the pollen concentration exceeded the threshold of sensitivity increased significantly (+1.33 days/year) in Banská Bystrica, whereas the peak value decreased significantly (-13.37 pollen/year) in Bratislava. CONCLUSION The number of the populations of A. artemisiifolia has increased considerably in recent years. Besides the most infested areas, high airborne pollen counts were also recorded in territories where the plant species was less abundant. During the study period, the intensity of Ambrosia pollen seasons decreased in Bratislava, probably due to changes in land-use practices, while the increasing trend in the pollen seasons intensity in Banská Bystrica mainly reflects the situation in the ragweed-infested remote areas due to long-range pollen transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Hrabovský
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Karol Mičieta
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Janka Lafférsová
- Department of Environmental Biology, Public Health Office, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Dušička
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Ščevková J, Dušička J, Hrubiško M, Mičieta K. Influence of airborne pollen counts and length of pollen season of selected allergenic plants on the concentration of sIgE antibodies on the population of Bratislava, Slovakia. Ann Agric Environ Med 2015; 22:451-455. [PMID: 26403113 DOI: 10.5604/12321966.1167712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE The association between airborne pollen counts or duration of pollen season and allergy symptoms is not always distinguished. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between pollen exposure (annual total pollen quantity and main pollen season length) of selected allergenic plants in the atmosphere of Bratislava, and concentration of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) in serum of patients with seasonal allergy during 2002-2003. MATERIALS AND METHODS The concentration of pollen was monitored by a Burkard volumetric pollen trap. At the same time, 198 pollen allergic patients were testing to determine the values of sIgE antibodies against selected pollen allergens; a panel of 8 purified allergens was used. RESULTS The highest percentages of sensitization were detected for Poaceae and Ambrosia pollen allergens. The most abundant airborne pollen types were Urticaceae, Betula, Populus, Fraxinus, Pinus and Poaceae. The length of the pollen season varied. The longest pollen season was that of the Plantago - 105 days, and the shortest, Corylus - 20 days. A significant correlation was found between annual total pollen quantity and median sIgE values, especially in 2002. CONCLUSIONS A strong and significant positive correlation was observed between pollen counts, excluding Betula, and sIgE levels in both analysed years. The correlation was weaker and negative in the case of length of pollen season and sIgE values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Dušička
- Department of Botany, Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Martin Hrubiško
- Institute of Laboratory Medicines, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Karol Mičieta
- Department of Botany, Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
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