Grass-pollen allergen carried by the smaller micronic aerosol fraction

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Abstract
Aerodynamically, grass-pollen grains should be filtered from the inhaled air in the nose. They should not penetrate into the deeper airways (bronchi, bronchioles). Yet, bronchial symptoms are not seldom seen in patients suffering from pollinosis. Therefore, the grass-pollen allergenic activity of the smaller, paucimicronic atmospheric aerosol fraction was studied. Outdoor airborne particulate matter was collected and separated into fractions according to aerodynamic sizes (> 10; 4.9–10; 2.7–4.9; 1.3–2.7; 0.6–1.3; < 0.6 μm), with a Cascade Impactor mounted on top of a high volume sampler. The different fractions were tested for the presence of grass-pollen allergenic activity using a RAST-inhibition assay. The results show that on days with a relatively high grass-pollen count, a considerable amount of allergen was present in all the smaller micronic aerosol fractions.