Immunologic, spectrophotometric and nucleic acid based methods for the detection and quantification of airborne pollen

Abstract

Microscopic identification of pollen morphological phenotypes has been the traditional method used to identify and quantify pollen collected by air monitoring stations worldwide. Although this method has enabled a semi-standardized approach for the assessment of pollen exposure, limitations including labor intensiveness, required expertise, examiner bias, and the inability to differentiate species, genera, and in some cases families have limited data derived from the these stations. Recent advances in chemical, biochemical and molecular detection methods have provided standardized alternatives to this microscopic approach. In this review, we examine the applicability of alternative methodologies, in particular nucleic acid based assays involving the quantitative polymerase chain reaction, for the standardized detection of airborne pollen.

Fig. 1

Flowchart describing the steps that must be taken during preliminary experimentation. Dotted arrows and italicized text represent possible limitations that may arise. Limitations may be overcome by revisiting the previous step and optimizing the conditions.

Fig. 2

Overview of qPCR quantification of pollen. The figure indicates the estimated time required for each step.