False colour scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a pollen grain from cocksfoot grass, Dactylis glomerata, showing a germinating pore from which a po

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False colour scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a pollen grain from cocksfoot grass, Dactylis glomerata, showing a germinating pore from which a pollen tube emerges. Cocksfoot pollen, a summer grass pollen dispersed by the wind, is a major cause of hay fever (medical term Allergic rhinitis & pollenosis). Sufferers produce a sensitising antibody, immunoglobin E (IgE), which attaches to cells in the nose & eyes. It reacts with inhaled pollen causing the release of various chemicals including histamine. Histamine causes the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes & throat to swell & become inflamed, bringing on the familiar symptoms of hay fever. Magnification: X 530 at 35mm size. original is bw print B786/077

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Size: 4387px × 3972px
Photo credit: © DR JEREMY BURGESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: allergic, botany, cocksfoot, dactylis, fever, germination, glomerata., grass, hay, hayfever, nature, plant, plants, pollen, reproduction, reproductive, rhinitis, sem, type