Understanding what is causing the rise in exotic pollens and hightened allergy attacks is one of the main reasons the team at Northe West University work to track the local pollen count.
North West, South Africa (04 October 2023) – The North West University shared an insightful look at how its team contributes to the national Real Pollen Count project. They have also found a rise in exotic pollens which are responsible for serious allergies.
The pollen count was the concept of the University of Cape Town Lung Institute Allergy and Immunology. Several universities and medical institutions around South Africa assist in doing the counts, including CSIR Pretoria, Kimberly Gariep Mediclinic, Nelson Mandela University, North-West University, University of Pretoria, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Free State, University of Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town.
The North West University team joined the project and has seen some interesting things since joining. As South Africa has transitioned from Winter to Spring, naturally a rise in pollen was to be expected. The team, however, have seen a higher count in exotic or better-termed alien pollens.
Professor Frank Neumann, a palynologist (specialising in the study of pollen grains and other spores) and subject chair for geology and soil sciences at the North-West University’s School for Geo- and Spatial Sciences, shares that the rise on these pollens is likely due to these alien plants being found in home gardens. Being unsuited to our climate, many are stressed and constantly release high amounts of pollen at short intervals.
These include:
- London plane tree,
- Mulberry,
- Birch,
- Cypress
- Oak
- Ragweed (known as Ambrosia)
“These culprits are exotic trees and plants found in South African gardens originating from Europe, Asia and North America in the Northern Hemisphere. They begin to pollinate from August onwards, with fungi joining soon after the first spring rains.” – Professor Frank Neumann
Professor Neumann and his team are currently running a research project and they are able to detect all manner of plant pollens and spores. The team is made up of Dr Dorra Gharbi, Keneilwe Podile and Nikiwe Ndlovu.
Dr Dorra Gharbi, an aerobiologist, started measuring the aerospora (pollen and fungal spores) in the atmosphere as part of the project.
Nikiwe Ndlovu is the technician responsible for the weekly collection of the samples from the spore trap at the NWU. She shares how that process works,
“The drum of the spore trap rotates two millimetres every hour of the day so that the trap can continuously collect pollen, fungal material and dust spores from the air,”
“We collect these samples every Monday and process the data for every day. We then examine the microscopic slides through a light microscope and count how much pollen from which specific trees and herbs we find in each day’s sample.”
Keneilwe Podile is currently an honours student in aerobiology, working to analyse the data to help allergy and asthma sufferers.
“Knowing if you are exposed to high amounts of allergic pollen in the air on specific days empowers you to manage your risks efficiently. Easy steps such as closing windows and doors, changing clothing regularly or visiting your doctor to learn how to manage the symptoms on those days can make living with allergies a bit easier.” – Keneilwe Podile
Professor Neumann shares that by identifying the problematic trees and plants, they can better work with various stakeholders to support South Africans in making informed choices when planting in the garden.
“We are working with various role players such Public Health and Urban and Regional Planning at the NWU to draft proper policies to inform and guide government agencies and institutions about these trees and plants. We hope to reach a point where more problematic plants are banned, and nurseries are not allowed to sell them,”
Take a look at the team’s fascinating process below.
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