Variation of the Group 5 Grass Pollen Allergen Content of Airborne Pollen in Relation to Geographical Location and Time in Season

Buters, J.T.M., Prank, M., Sofiev, M., Pusch, G., Albertini, R., Annesi-Maesano, I., Antunes, C.M., Behrendt, H., Berger, U., Brandao, R., Celenk, S., Galán, C., Grewling, Ł., Jackowiak, B., Kennedy, Roy, Rantio-Lehtimäki, A., Reese, G., Sauliene, I., Smith, Matt ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4170-2960, Thibaudon, M., Weber, B. and Cecchi, L. (2015) Variation of the Group 5 Grass Pollen Allergen Content of Airborne Pollen in Relation to Geographical Location and Time in Season. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 136 (1). pp. 87-95. ISSN 0091-6749

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Abstract

Allergies to grass pollen are the number one cause of outdoor hay fever. The human immune system reacts with symptoms to allergens from pollen.
Objective: We investigated the natural variability in release of the major group 5 allergen from grass
pollen across Europe.
Methods: Airborne pollen and allergens were simultaneously collected daily with a volumetric spore
trap and a high-volume cascade impactor at 10 sites across Europe for 3 consecutive years. Group 5 allergen was determined with a Phl p 5 specific ELISA in two fractions of ambient air: Particulate Matter (PM) >10μm and 10μm>PM>2.5μm. Mediator release by ambient air was determined in FcεR1-humanized basophils. Origin of pollen was modeled and condensed to pollen potency maps.
Results: On average grass pollen released 2.3 pg Phl p 5/pollen. Allergen release per pollen (potency) varied substantially, ranging from 0 to 9 pg Phl p 5/pollen (5 to 95% percentile). The main variation was locally day-to-day. Average potency maps across Europe varied between years. Mediator release from basophilic granulocytes correlated better with allergen/m3 (r2=0.80, p<0.001) than with
pollen/m3 (r2=0.61, p<0.001). In addition, pollen released different amounts of allergen in the nonpollen
bearing fraction of ambient air depending on humidity.
Conclusion: Across Europe, the same amount of pollen released substantially different amounts of group 5 grass pollen allergen. This variation in allergen release is on top of variations in pollen counts. Molecular aerobiology, i.e. determining allergen in ambient air, may be a valuable addition to pollen counting.

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