Abstract
<p>The pollinic spectrum of the Madeira region is dominated by grass pollen, which also represents an important aeroallergen in Europe. The present work aims to analyze the main features of the Poaceae pollen season in the Madeira region to determine the allergic risk. The study took place in Funchal city, the capital of Madeira Island, over a period of 10 years (2003–2012). The airborne pollen monitoring was carried out with a Hirst type volumetric trap, following well-established guidelines.</p><p>In the atmosphere of Funchal, the mean annual Poaceae pollen index was 229. The mean Poaceae pollen season lasts 275 days, with an onset date in January/March and an end date in November/December. Poaceae counts showed a seasonal variation with 2 distinct peaks: a higher peak between March and June, and the second one in autumn. The peak values occurred mainly between April and June, and the highest peak was 93 grains/m<sup>3</sup>, detected on the 27th May of 2010. The Poaceae pollen remaining at low levels during the whole growing season, presenting a nil to low allergenic risk during most of the study period. Higher critical levels of allergens have been revealed after 2006. In general, the pollen risk from Poaceae lasted only a few days per year, despite the very long pollen season and the abundance of grasses in the landscape of Madeira Island.</p>
Highlights
The Poaceae family is one of the most important families of flowering plants, composed of a representative number of taxa with great significance and usefulness to humans and domestic animals
The pollinic spectrum of the Madeira region is dominated by grass pollen, which represents an important aeroallergen in Europe
The present work aims to analyze the main features of the Poaceae pollen season in the Madeira region to determine the allergic risk
Summary
The Poaceae family (grasses) is one of the most important families of flowering plants, composed of a representative number of taxa with great significance and usefulness to humans and domestic animals. In the Mediterranean landscape, grasses dominate the herbaceous vegetation [1], being a common element in the urban areas. Grasses are both annual and perennial herbs, and most species are anemophilous [2], producing large amounts of pollen grains during a short period of time [3]. From the clinical point of view, their pollen is considered one of the most important aeroallergens in Europe [4,5] and a major cause of pollinosis in several parts of the world [6,7,8]. In Portugal, Poaceae pollen is one of the most frequent aeroallergens and the main cause of pollinosis in the sensitized population [9,10]. In the particular case of Madeira, Poaceae represents one of the main pollen types in the atmosphere, along with Urticaceae pollen type [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
