Gutachten zur Umweltbiologie

Longitudinal Investigation on Allergenic Conifer Pollen in Japan for Successful Prevention and Treatment against Japanese Cedar Pollinosis

Reiko Kishikawa, Chie Oshikawa, Eiko Koto, Akemi Saito, Norio Sahashi, Nobuo Soh, Toshitaka Yokoyama, Tadao Enomoto, Toru Imai, Koji Murayama, Yuma Fukutomi, Kazuo Akiyama,Terufumi Shimoda and Tomoaki Iwanaga

Longitudinal Investigation on Allergenic Conifer Pollen in Japan for Successful Prevention and Treatment against Japanese Cedar Pollinosis

In Japan allergic people has been recognized increasing according to the increase of Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica (JC) pollinosis since first reported in 1964. We have detected allergenic airborne pollen when Japanese government has begun to investigate the background and treatment on JC pollinosis as a serious social problem since July1986. Urgently the gravitational method with Durham’s sampler has been adopted to know huge number of JC and cypress family, Cupressaceae family (Cypress) pollen grains as causative agent. The area of national artificial forest of over 31 years old has become about 7 times from1970. We have estimated annual fluctuation of Japanese important allergenic pollen, with climatic factor during about 30 years for successful treatment of pollinosis in near future. There are institutions in fifteen locations monitoring airborne pollen by Durham’s sampler in Japan between the latitude of 30 to 40 degrees north. Airborne pollen samples were collected at each institute and were sent to our hospital on a daily basis. We counted pollen grains per cm2 through microscope, classifying and summarizing them. From 1986 to 2014 we have referred to the change in meteorological condition at the close to 9 of the pollen monitoring locations and estimated statically. JC and Cypress pollen counts have shown huge but remarkable annual fluctuation and they have been increasing gradually according to over 31 y-old conifer planting area expanding. The mean temperature in summer time, JC male flower formation, has a significant correlation with next year pollen counts. The pollination season has started earlier in north and later in central Japan gradually through a changing on mean temperature. In Japan allergenic conifer pollen counts have been increasing because of over 31 y-old conifer plantations area increase through the climate change about 30 years. Moreover, it has changed the start of pollination season.