ABSTRACT
Allergens are everywhere, and the most common publicly recognized airborne allergens are pollen grains and fungal spores.
In 2017, 8.2 percent of adults and 8.4 percent of children in the United States were diagnosed with “hay fever” due to airborne pollen. In addition, fungal spores affect more than 20 percent of the U.S. population.
The most common air sampling method for plant pollen and fungal spores is the “spore trap.” This method, however, provides a total count of all spores—viable and nonviable. This method is also limited in its ability to identify spores by group and/or genus only.
