Aerobiological and allergenic analysis of Amaranthaceae pollen in Alentejo Region (South Portugal)

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Sociedade Portuguesa de Alergologia e Imunologia Clínica. Published by Publicações Ciência & Vida. In recent years, the relevance of pollen of Amaranthaceae plants family as cause of allergy has increased. The plants from this family have the ability to rapidly colonize areas under adverse conditions which has been increase in some regions of the world due to climate change. The objectives of this study were: 1) To analyze the prevalence and aerobiological behavior of Amaranthaceae pollen in the Alentejo region; 2) to analyze the influence of meteorological factors on atmospheric pollen concentrations; and 3) to assess the pollen levels of exposition. Material and methods: For the study, Amaranthaceae pollen data from the Évora monitoring station of the Portuguese Aerobiology Network, from 2001 to 2019, and meteorological data of Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, were used. Results: Amaranthaceae pollen showed a low representativeness in the pollen spectrum of the atmosphere, always < 1%. The average pollen Index was 400 ± 112 pollen grains. Amaranthaceae pollen season occurred between April and October, with an average duration of 161 ± 16 days, and with two distinct peaks periods, one in the spring and the other in the summer. Correlations between daily pollen counts and meteorological parameters were obtained. Exposure levels above 10 grains/m3 were mostly recorded in May, but also in early June, in August and September. Conclusion: Despite the low representativeness in the pollen spectrum of the atmosphere, its presence in the air in low concentrations, this pollen type may be an im-portant cause of pollen allergy in region. Amaranthaceae pollen occurs in the air with other pollens with high allergological capacity simultaneously, with grasses and olive trees pollens, with which it presents cross-reactivity. This study shows the importance of Amaranthaceae pollen monitoring and its clinical usefulness for improving the quality of life of patients with pollen sensitization. publishersversion published