Fungal spores and pollen are correlated with meteorological variables: effects in human health at Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

ABSTRACT

We conducted the first study of air pollen and fungal spores for Hermosillo, Sonora, where the human population is exposed to high temperatures and high levels of dust and suffers from diseases related to air quality. We sampled pollen and fungal spores daily in the air during 2016 using a volumetric spore trap Hirst-type sampler. We used simple linear correlation to investigate the association between pollen and spore counts and daily weather conditions. We found an Annual Pollen Integral of 16,243 pollen day/m³ and an Annual Spore Integral higher 222,365 spore day/m³. We identified 32 pollen taxa and 15 different spores. We found two periods of higher pollen and spore concentrations: March to May and August to October, the latter was the most severe. Spore and pollen concentrations in the air increased at higher temperature and higher relative humidity but decreased at higher precipitation. We detected negative impacts during summer and fall on population health, with 13,454 cases of people who presented diseases related to allergies. A peak in allergies is centered during October and correlates well with our peaks in pollen and spore concentrations; it seems that pollen of Poaceae is the one that generates most effects in allergic people.

KEYWORDS:

• Allergenic pollen
• fungal spores
• Hermosillo Sonora
• weather conditions

Declaration of interest statement

The authors report no conflict of interest

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología y Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales: [Grant Number 263413].