Lukas Dirr, Johannes M. Bouchal, Markus Berger, Laurent Marquer, Tamara Döllinger, Pramodchandra Harvey, Uwe E. Berger
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
The European Aeroallergen Network (EAN) is a Europe-wide, noncommercial network for the standardized collection and analysis of pollen and fungal spores. It plays a central role in the research and prevention of inhalation allergies, such as the widespread birch pollen allergy. The EAN database facilitates international research, clinical studies, and the provision of daily pollen information by virtue of its extensive, quality-assured, long-term data.
Methods
The EAN database is a Java-based, two-stage web application with TLS-secured data transmission. Authorized users are permitted to upload pollen measurement data, analyze it, and make it available to others within the framework of scientific collaborations. The functionality of the database was examined through the utilization of four distinct application examples, with measurement stations located in three Austrian cities (Graz, Innsbruck, and Vienna) serving as the experimental setting: (1) calculation of base statistics for seasonal characterization, (2) completeness report for quality control, (3) comparison graphics for showing interannual differences, and (4) European maps based on pollen data from several hundred European pollen traps for the spatial visualization of pollen loads.
Results
The EAN data show that the 2025 birch pollen season began about 2 weeks later and was less intense than that of 2024. A decline in total pollen counts and peak concentrations was observed at all measuring stations, indicating a shift between mast and nonmast years. Completeness analyses were conducted to provide information on data quality and to facilitate the identification of missing periods. Comparative graphs illustrated annual and location-dependent differences in exposure, while European maps visualized the seasonal progression and long-range transport of birch pollen.
Conclusion
The results highlight the scientific and practical importance of the EAN database for allergy research, clinical studies, and pollen information services. The system was developed to promote international comparability, quality control, and forecasting. Furthermore, the EAN database is a valuable resource for aerobiological and climate research. The long-term records of aerobiological data reveal trends in flowering times, pollen concentrations, and mast years, as it has been shown for the birch pollen season in the present study. Consequently, these records can serve as biotic indicators of climate change.
期刊介绍：
Allergo Journal International is the official Journal of the German Society for Applied Allergology (AeDA) and the Austrian Society for Allergology and Immunology (ÖGAI). The journal is a forum for the communication and exchange of ideas concerning the various aspects of allergy (including related fields such as clinical immunology and environmental medicine) and promotes German allergy research in an international context. The aim of Allergo Journal International is to provide state of the art information for all medical and scientific disciplines that deal with allergic, immunological and environmental diseases. Allergo Journal International publishes original articles, reviews, short communications, case reports, and letters to the editor. The articles cover topics such as allergic, immunological and environmental diseases, the latest developments in diagnosis and therapy as well as current research work concerning antigens and allergens and aspects related to occupational and environmental medicine. In addition, it publishes clinical guidelines and position papers approved by expert panels of the German, Austrian and Swiss Allergy Societies.
All submissions are reviewed in single-blind fashion by at least two reviewers.
Originally, the journal started as a German journal called Allergo Journal back in 1992. Throughout the years, English articles amounted to a considerable portion in Allergo Journal. This was one of the reasons to extract the scientific content and publish it in a separate journal. Hence, Allergo Journal International was born and now is the international continuation of the original German journal. Nowadays, all original content is published in Allergo Journal International first. Later, selected manuscripts will be translated and published in German and included in Allergo Journal.
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