Aerosol Measurements and Decadal Changes: The Role of Climatic Changes and How It Reflects in Respiratory Allergies and Asthma

The causative agents of respiratory allergies are bioaerosols, such as house dust mite feces, pollen grains, and fungal spores. Climate change and urbanization are considered to lead to an increase in the load of allergenic bioaerosols due to impacts on plant phenophases and allergenicity. Continuous and efficient monitoring of the atmospheric composition worldwide is essential, given the major changes involved and their impact on climate change. The complexity of the exposome, evolving from single to multiple complex exposures, is explored in this work. Acquiring information from interdisciplinary scientific disciplines, such as aerobiology (for airborne particles of biological origin), aerosol science (for airborne particles of chemical or inorganic material), and integrating this with the actual reactome of patients with respiratory diseases, we aim to provide evidence of the multifactorial nature of this interaction in real life. The objective of this review is to present how we can monitor aerosols and mostly monitor the exposome, especially the biological one, i.e., pollen and fungal spores, and what their impact is, or could be, on respiratory allergies. A huge technological advancement has been required, as traditional methods of particle collection and identification have been based on tedious laboratory procedures, with delays of more than a week. This has limited their practical use to allergic patients and their treating physicians. Automation, real‐time high temporal resolution, and the use of artificial intelligence are being increasingly used in medicine. Likewise, this overview summarizes the current aerosol measurement and modeling capabilities and discusses the classification of various aerosol particles and their impact on respiratory allergies. Satellite remote sensing is highlighted as a solution to the gaps in global aerosol representation by examining aerosol load in the atmospheric column in major cities worldwide. We also discuss potential novel threats, such as pioneer bioaerosols and the respiratory epithelial barrier, as well as future insights into the impact of climate change on allergy and asthma. We conclude with a discussion of emerging co‐exposures and co‐diseases resulting from the ongoing climate change.

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Publication Details

Journal
Universität Zürich, ZORA
Published
2025-05-31
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-284674
Primary Topic
Allergic Rhinitis and Sensitization
Type
article
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article

Aerosol Measurements and Decadal Changes: The Role of Climatic Changes and How It Reflects in Respiratory Allergies and Asthma

Kyriakoula Papachristopoulou, Fiona Tummon, Bernard Clot, Akriti Masoom et al.
Universität Zürich, ZORA
Allergic Rhinitis and Sensitization
article

Aerosol Measurements and Decadal Changes: The Role of Climatic Changes and How It Reflects in Respiratory Allergies and Asthma

Kyriakoula Papachristopoulou, Fiona Tummon, Bernard Clot, Akriti Masoom, S. Nyeki, Stavros Solomos, Martine Collaud Coen, Benoît Crouzy, Stelios Kazadzis, Anna Moustaka, Antonis Gkikas, Yagiz Pat, Natalia Kouremeti, Athanasios Damialis, Stefanie Gilles-Stein, Illias Fountoulakis, Marie‐Charlotte Brüggen, Ioannis‐Panagiotis Raptis, Cezmi Akdis
article en

Abstract

The causative agents of respiratory allergies are bioaerosols, such as house dust mite feces, pollen grains, and fungal spores. Climate change and urbanization are considered to lead to an increase in the load of allergenic bioaerosols due to impacts on plant phenophases and allergenicity. Continuous and efficient monitoring of the atmospheric composition worldwide is essential, given the major changes involved and their impact on climate change. The complexity of the exposome, evolving from single to multiple complex exposures, is explored in this work. Acquiring information from interdisciplinary scientific disciplines, such as aerobiology (for airborne particles of biological origin), aerosol science (for airborne particles of chemical or inorganic material), and integrating this with the actual reactome of patients with respiratory diseases, we aim to provide evidence of the multifactorial nature of this interaction in real life. The objective of this review is to present how we can monitor aerosols and mostly monitor the exposome, especially the biological one, i.e., pollen and fungal spores, and what their impact is, or could be, on respiratory allergies. A huge technological advancement has been required, as traditional methods of particle collection and identification have been based on tedious laboratory procedures, with delays of more than a week. This has limited their practical use to allergic patients and their treating physicians. Automation, real‐time high temporal resolution, and the use of artificial intelligence are being increasingly used in medicine. Likewise, this overview summarizes the current aerosol measurement and modeling capabilities and discusses the classification of various aerosol particles and their impact on respiratory allergies. Satellite remote sensing is highlighted as a solution to the gaps in global aerosol representation by examining aerosol load in the atmospheric column in major cities worldwide. We also discuss potential novel threats, such as pioneer bioaerosols and the respiratory epithelial barrier, as well as future insights into the impact of climate change on allergy and asthma. We conclude with a discussion of emerging co‐exposures and co‐diseases resulting from the ongoing climate change.

Universität Zürich, ZORA
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 26%
Allergic Rhinitis and Sensitization
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