Airborne Pollen Grains of Oleaceae in Argentina: Olea europaea, Fraxinus spp. and Ligustrum spp.

MURRAY, M G; SONAGLIONI, M I; VILLAMIL, C B; RAMÓN, G D

Raleigh, North Carolina, Estados Unidos

Simposio; Annual Symposium of the Pan-American Aerobiology Association; 2001

Pan-American Aerobiology Association

   The airborne pollen grains of Oleaceae is one of the main causes of allergopathies. The purpose of this study was to carry on a preliminary analysis of the pollen rain features of the three widely cultivated genera of the family in Argentine cities: Olea europaea (Ol-eu), Fraxinus spp. (Fr-spp) y Ligustrum spp. (Li-spp). The airborne pollen grain content in eight Argentine cities: Bahía Blanca (BB), Buenos Aires (BA), Córdoba (CBA), Mar del Plata (MDP), Mendoza (MZA), Paraná (PAR), Rosario (ROS) and Santa Fe (SFE), was measured during the period May 2000-April 2001. Daily data were obtained using a volumetric impact sampler (Rotorod 40) and the values obtained (grains/m3) were converted to weekly average for the analysis.    Ol-eu pollen rain (September–December) showed that the highest weekly mean concentrations were not simultaneous in the studied cities. The sequential time of the highest peaks was PAR, BA, SFE, ROS, CBA, MZA, BB y MDP. The highest concentration (484.29 grain/m3) was in MZA. For Fr-spp (August–October), the highest weekly mean concentration was reached, in all eight cities, during the third week of September. The highest weekly mean concentration (832.24 grains/m3) was in ROS. For Li-spp the weekly mean concentration (October–February), never surpassed 10 grains/m3 in any of the studied cities. In spite of the geographic differences, Fr-spp and Li-spp exhibited pollen rain common features, whereas Ol-eu showed an apparent northwest-southeast shift. We believe that more studies including additional localities are necessary if broader generalizations about Oleaceae pollen rain are to be made.