Mugwort Pollen – Taxi for Bacteria

Pollen Allergy

MUNICH. In asthmatics, different substances in the air can cause respiratory problems. This includes bacteria and endotoxins. How they were in the air, was until now unclear. A team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) has been able to show that mugwort pollen carries mainly bacteria and thus becomes even more aggressive. However, this is not the case in some Alpine regions such as Davos (JACI 2018, July 15)

For more than five years, the team of TUM and HMGU, with colleagues from CK- CARE "Christine Kühne – Center for Allergy Research and Education" air in the city center of Munich and in the Alpine region, informs the TUM – more precisely in Davos.

They analyzed which pollen could be found in the air and measured the concentration of endotoxins. Result: The amount of endotoxin in the air increases only when the pollen concentration in the wormwood plant increases, regardless of climate change.

The parallel control measures in Davos show that air pollution by pollens and endotoxins is much lower, it says in the message. Nevertheless, a link between mugwort pollen and bacterial toxins was detectable.

The team led by Professor Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann and Professor Jeroen Buters of TUM and HMGU led the study. "We have been able to show that pollen acts as a taxi on bacteria and therefore on their toxins, which makes the pollen of naturally very allergenic mugwort even more problematic for people with allergies and asthmatics." She says.

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