Genitsaris Savvas, Kormas Konstantinos Ar, Moustaka-Gouni Maria
Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2011 Jan 1;3(2):772-87. doi: 10.2741/e285.
Published information on airborne algae and cyanobacteria worldwide and the related human health effects is scarce. Since 1844, a total of 353 morphological taxa (genera or species) have been identified in aerobiological studies. However, due to diverse methodologies and different microorganisms targeted in these studies, direct comparisons on the occurrences of airborne algae and cyanobacteria in various studies are rather dubious. Thirty-eight airborne algae and cyanobacteria were shown to induce allergy, skin irritation, hay fever, rhinitis, sclerosis and respiratory problems when aerosolized and inhaled. Another 14 airborne taxa are known toxin producers posing threat to human health. Most frequently associated with health effects are the genera Chlorella, Scenedesmus, Chlorococcum, Klebsormidium (Hormidium) and Lyngbya. In the air of the Mediterranean city of Thessaloniki, we found 63 algal and cyanobacterial taxa, with 21 reported for the first time in the air. Seven taxa were potentially harmful. Algae and cyanobacteria can contribute significantly in the total air particle load, rendering them as causative agents for health issues when inhaled.
关于全球范围内空气中藻类和蓝细菌及其对人类健康影响的公开信息很少。自1844年以来，在空气生物学研究中总共鉴定出353个形态分类单元（属或种）。然而，由于这些研究中方法多样且目标微生物不同，不同研究中关于空气中藻类和蓝细菌出现情况的直接比较相当不可靠。38种空气中的藻类和蓝细菌在雾化并被吸入时会引发过敏、皮肤刺激、花粉热、鼻炎、硬化症和呼吸道问题。另外14种空气中的分类单元是已知的毒素产生者，对人类健康构成威胁。与健康影响最常相关的属是小球藻属、栅藻属、绿球藻属、鞘毛藻属（胶毛藻属）和鞘丝藻属。在希腊第二大城市塞萨洛尼基的空气中，我们发现了63种藻类和蓝细菌分类单元，其中21种是首次在空气中被报道。7个分类单元可能有害。藻类和蓝细菌在空气中的总颗粒物负荷中可能占很大比例，使其成为吸入时导致健康问题的病原体。
