DNA from hay fever pollen could improve predictions

Spring has arrived – and for a quarter of the UK's inhabitants, the nose begins to contract and the eyes itch.

April is a month when tree pollen becomes known, before grbad pollen suffers from hay fever in search of relief in the summer.

But why is hay fever worse on some days than others, regardless of the high or low pollen count predictions?

Researchers led by a team from Bangor University believe that they are about to find an answer.

Scientists have been good at predicting overall levels of pollen, warning those with hay fever to take precautions such as antihistamine tablets.

But Professor Simon Creer felt that something was missing in the photo.

He led the PollerGen project in Bangor, bringing together researchers from as far afield as Australia, the Met Office, the National Botanic Garden of Wales, budding experts from Aberystwyth University and scientists from Worcester Universities and from Exeter.

"I suffer from hay fever myself and I know that on certain days, despite a high pollen forecast, I can be less affected than on other days, when the forecasts seem lower," he said. declared.

"This has led us and others to wonder whether the problem was due to the high pollen load alone or whether different grbad pollens resulted in different levels of response."

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FEVER FEVERSource: Allergy UK

But identifying the different pollen grbades that could trigger a person's hay fever faces major obstacles.

There are hundreds of different varieties of grbades, producing different pollens, in varying amounts and at slightly different times of the year.

Mix different weather conditions and landscapes – and suddenly predict what type of grbad pollen has become extremely complex.

So, PollerGen took a different approach.

He has developed "environmental DNA" tests using a technique called "metabarcoding", the first results of which were published in the scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

During an allergy season, they were able to identify fragments of material captured in a sample of air, water or soil, and to recognize grbad strains through unique "barcodes" of DNA.

For the first time, this allowed the teams to begin to examine the links between certain types of pollen and the days when people with plant allergies are the most affected.

"Bringing together a range of specialists has allowed us to find the first answers," said Georgina Brennan, of Bangor, who undertook to badyze environmental DNA data with Dr. Catrin Potter. Aberystwyth.

"Our task now is to define more clearly the origin of pollen, its movement in the air and how different types of pollen can be related to allergies."

But researchers did not only focus on identifying different strains of pollen, they also compared them to data from physician surgeries and hospital admissions.

Spikes in health care incidents and some types of grbad pollen shedding may help improve the Met Office's forecast warnings and thus help individuals improve the way they treat the problem.

Allergy UK, a for-profit research organization, said the latest findings made it possible to make more accurate predictions of allergen pollen.

"It is desirable to help us understand grbad pollen species in a much more thorough way, particularly if, in the future, they can be used to provide information to the population affected by allergy." grbad pollen, "said Amena Warner, Clinical Services Manager.

"We look forward to seeing more results later this year and the benefits it will bring to those living with hay fever."