7. Mire Straldza (Southeastern Bulgaria): Late Holocene vegetation history

Aeroallergens of the southeastern Missouri region were determined by skin test frequencies of 817 consecutive individuals and compared and contrasted with five years of air sampling using the Rotorod sampler. Household inhalants were found to induce the most frequently positive skin tests, especially house dust, feathers, house dust mite, wool, cat epithelium, tobacco, dog epithelium, and horse epithelium. Among the trees, pollen extracts of Acer saccharum (maple), Acer negundo (box-elder), Carya ovata/C. illinoensis (hickory/pecan), Juglans nigra (walnut), and Ulmus americana (elm) were the most commonly positive. A slightly higher level of skin reactivity was found to grass pollen extracts with Anlhoxanthum odoralum (sweet vernal), Phleum pratense (timothy), Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda), Agrostis alba (red top) and Festuca elatior (meadow fescue), all being quite similar in incidence, but Sorghum halepense (Johnson grass) was clearly less important. Ambrosia spp. (ragweed) and Xanthium commune (cocklebur) were the most frequent weed reactions with ragweed the most prominent allergen of outside environmental origin. Of the genera of fungi, skin tests to Epicoccum were most frequently positive. When reactivity level is considered, the other important fungi are Alternaria, Candida, Cladosporium, Curvularia, and Fusarium. Air sampling data generally correlates well with the positive skin tests frequencies i.e., the most numerous pollen, ragweed, has the highest skin test frequency and reactivity level. Similarly among the fungi the most numerous spores, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Fusarium, and Epicoccum have the highest frequencies and reactivity levels. Certain species appear to be able to sensitize patients in lower concentrations, such as box-elder and the grasses. Oak pollen and Cladosporium spores appear in large numbers, but seem less sensitizing.