Reviews and feature articleAnthropogenic climate change and allergen exposure: The role of plant biology
Section snippets
Increasing CO2 concentrations and temperature: Pollen production, season, and distribution
Recent estimates suggest that approximately 34 million Americans have been given a diagnosis of asthma.5 Results from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood indicate that the global (and North American) burden of asthma is continuing to increase.6 A range of possible mechanisms for the increased prevalence of allergic disease have been postulated. At present, the role of changes in plant aeroallergen exposure times and concentrations associated with increasing CO2
Plants, fungi, and aeroallergens
Although the function of climate in the induction and spread of molds is well recognized,47 it is important to also emphasize the role of plants in fungal biology. Of particular interest in this regard is Alternaria alternata, a well-known plant pathogen with more than 350 plant hosts that is also recognized as a significant aeroallergen associated with a number of respiratory problems, such as rhinitis, asthma, allergic sinusitis, and allergic dermatitis. Because changing CO2 concentrations
Plant allergenicity
Increasing temperatures and CO2 concentrations will almost certainly alter the production, distribution, and dispersion of plant-based allergens from trees, grasses, and weeds; however, the role of these climatic factors in altering the allergenicity of plant allergens remains largely unexplored. Yet allergenicity, in addition to temporal and spatial allergen exposure, is widely recognized as a major determinant of the health effects for sensitized patients.52
Quantification of ragweed pollen to
Changes in climate extremes
Because the frequency of extreme weather events is likely to increase with climate change,3 potential modifications in the timing and magnitude of aeroallergen distributions can also occur. For example, extreme weather can increase pollen dissemination of allergens through winds, humidity, flooding, or warmer temperatures. “Thunderstorm asthma,” which is potentially associated with the dispersion of more respirable allergenic particles caused by osmotic rupture of the exine, is an additional
Interactions with air pollutants
A consideration of air pollutants is also vital because of the many and varied interactions between air pollutants and aeroallergens62 and because climate change will influence some air pollutants. For example, climate change will increase summertime surface ozone levels in polluted regions, with the largest effects in urban areas during pollution episodes; in addition, climate change–enhanced wildfires could become an increasingly important particulate matter (PM) source.63, 64
Although a
Unknowns and challenges
Human-induced increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations and subsequent effects on temperature and climate are “highly likely” to occur, as determined by the IPCC.3 In turn, these changes are expected to have a wide range of current and projected affects on human systems; indeed, the Lancet acknowledged that climate change represents the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century.73 Certainly there are a myriad of acknowledged and potential effects, but the goal of the current review
Conclusions
It is clear that anthropogenic climate change and increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations have the potential to transform almost all spatial and temporal aspects of plant-based aeroallergens (production, allergenicity, and distribution), with subsequent effects on aeroallergen exposure and the severity and prevalence of allergic diseases. Furthermore, there is some evidence that additional aspects of climate disruption, particularly thunderstorms, might exacerbate outbreaks of allergic
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Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest.