Aeroallergen Monitoring by the National Allergy Bureau: A Review of the Past and a Look Into the Future

Monitoring aeroallergens has a long history within the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The Aeroallergen Network of the National Allergy Bureau is composed mainly of members of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, whose objectives are to enhance the knowledge of aerobiology and its relationship to allergy, increase the number of certified stations, maintain the standardization and quality of aerobiology data, improve the alert and forecast reporting system, and increase ties with other scientific entities inside and outside the United States. The public has a keen interest in pollen counts and pollen forecasts, as do many health professionals in the allergy community. In this review, we explore the past, present, and future of allergen monitoring with a focus on methods used for sampling, the training of those performing the analysis, and emerging technologies in the field. Although the development of automated samplers with machine intelligence offers great promise for meeting the goal of a fully automated system, there is still progress to be made regarding reliability and affordability.