aeroallergen
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GC: n

S: WHO – http://www.who.int/globalchange/summary/en/index6.html (last access: 25 November 2016); NCBI – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2975603/ (last access: 25 November 2016)

N: 1. From aero (word-forming element meaning “air, atmosphere; gases,” in 20c. use with reference to aircraft or aviation, from Greek aer (genitive aeros) “air, lower atmosphere” and allergen (noun al·ler·gen from Greek \ˈa-lər-jən\).
2. Until comparatively recently, allergy to non-pathogenic environmental antigens (allergens) was ascribed primarily to defect(s) in the barrier functions of the respiratory and/or gastrointestinal mucosae, which in normal (non-atopic) individuals served to protect the inmune system from contact with sensitizing doses of these allergens. This notion has been supplanted by the recognition that the immune system instead actively monitors virtually all of the antigens impinging on mucosal surfaces, even inhalant allergens to which annual exposure may be as low as in the nanogram range.
3. Aeroallergens include pollen grains, biogenic waste, mold spores, and occupational allergens.In general, Anemophilus or wind-pollinated plants cause outdoor allergy symptoms from the spring through the fall. Physicians at The Asthma Center conduct daily monitoring of pollen and mold spores as part of an ongoing project since 1990.

S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=aero- (last access: 25 November 2016). 2. RTIA p. 35. 3. AC – http://www.theasthmacenter.org/index.php/newsletter/aeroallergens/ (last access: 25 November 2016).

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CR: allergy, mite, rhinitis.