Dr. Estelle Levetin's laboratory has conducted research on airborne fungi and pollen at the University of Tulsa since 1976. The lab has focused on various topics in fungal aerobiology including airborne basidiospores, fungal spores around a compost facility, Penicillium and Aspergillus aerobiology, and indoor fungal spores. Pollen research has included the influence of meteorological factors on pollen, ragweed pollen levels in Tulsa, long distance transport of mountain cedar (Juniperus ashei) pollen, increasing Juniperus virginiana pollen level, and the influence of climate change on Tulsa pollen levels.
The following are selected publication from the Levetin Aerobiology Laboratory.
Treadwell S, Green M, Gowda G, Levetin E, Carlson JC. 2024. Fungal Sensitization and Human Allergic Disease. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports 24: 281–288.
Makra L, Coviello L, Gobbi A, et al. 2024. Forecasting daily total pollen concentrations on a global scale. Allergy. 00:1-13. doi:10.1111/all.16227.
Levetin E, McLoud JD, Pityn P, Rorie AC. 2023. Air sampling and analysis of aeroallergens: Current and future approaches. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, 18:1-4.
Levetin E, Pityn PJ, Ramon GD, Pityn E, Anderson J, Bielory L, Dalan D, Codina R, Rivera-Mariani FE, Bolanos B. 2023. Aeroallergen monitoring by the NAB: A review of the past and a look into the future. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 11:1394-400.
Helfman-Hertzog I, Galán C, Levetin E, Kutiel H, Hefer T. Comparison of airborne Cupressaceae, Quercus and Poaceae pollen between Tulsa (Oklahoma) and Córdoba (Spain). 2023. Grana, 62(3):172-91.
Ramon GD, Green BJ, Levetin E, Makra L, Bielory L. 2021. The importance of binomial nomenclature for the identification of pollen aeroallergens. J Allergy Clin Immunol: In Practice 9: 2642-2644.
Levetin E. 2021. Aeroallergens and Climate change in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Long-term trends in the South Central United States. Frontiers in Allergy. https://doi.org/10.3389/falgy.2021.726445.
Levetin E and McLoud JD. 2020. Aeroallergen Sampling. In: Lockley RF and Ledford DK (eds) Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy: Subcutaneous, Sublingual, and Oral, 6th Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Poole JA, Barnes CS, Demain JG, Bernstein JA, Padukudru MA, Sheehan W, Guidos G, Wedner J, Codina R, Levetin E, Cohn JR. 2019. Impact of weather and climate change with indoor and outdoor air quality in asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 143 (5): 1702-1710.
Schwartz IS, McLoud JD, Berman D, Botha A, Lerm B, Colebunders R, Levetin E, Kenyon C. 2018. Molecular detection of Emergomyces africanus, a thermally dimorphic fungal pathogen, in air samples from Cape Town, South Africa. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 12 (1): e0006174. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006174.
Green BJ, Levetin E, Horner WE, Codina R, Barnes CS and Filley WV. 2018. Landscape Plant Selection Criteria for the Allergic Patient. J Allergy Clin Immunol: In Practice 6:1869–1876.
Flonard M, Lo E, Levetin E. 2018. Increasing Juniperus virginiana L. pollen in the Tulsa atmosphere: Long-term trends, variability, and influence of meteorological conditions. Int. J. Biometeorol 62 (2): 229-241, doi.org/10.1007/s00484-017-1444-8.
Helfman-Hertzog I, Kutiel H, Levetin E, Galan C, Hefer T. 2018. The impact of Sharav weather conditions on airborne pollen in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (Israel). Aerobiologia 34: 497–511.
Mohanty RP, Buchheim MA, Levetin E. 2017. Molecular approaches for the analysis of airborne pollen: A case study of Juniperus pollen. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; 118(2):204-11.
Mohanty RP, Buchheim MA, Anderson J, Levetin E. 2017. Molecular analysis confirms the long-distance transport of Juniperus ashei pollen. PloS One. Mar 8; 12(3):e0173465.
Levetin E. 2017. Airborne pollen prevalence in the United States. In: Grammer LC and Greenberger PA ed. Patterson’s Allergic Diseases, 8th edition. Kluwer Health Pub.
Galan C, Ariatti A, Bonini M, Clot B, Crouzy B, Dahl A, Fernandez-Gonza´lez D, Frenguelli G, Gehrig R, Isard S, Levetin E, Li DW, Mandrioli P, Rogers CA, Thibaudon M, Sauliene I, Skjoth C, Smith M, Sofiev M. 2017. Recommended terminology for aerobiological studies, Aerobiologia 33:293–295
Mohanty RP, Buchheim MA, Portman R, Levetin E. 2016. Molecular and ultrastructural detection of plastids in Juniperus (Cupressaceae) pollen, Phytologia 98(4): 298-310 (Oct 6, 2016). ISSN 030319430.
Levetin E, Horner WE, Scott JA, and the Environmental Allergens Working Group. 2016. Taxonomy of Allergenic Fungi, JACI: In Practice. 4:375-385.
Bunderson L and Levetin E. 2015. Hygroscopic weight gain of pollen grains from Juniperus species. Int. J. Biometeorol. 59: 533-540, DOI 10.1007/s00484-014-0866-9.
Levetin E. 2015. Aerobiology of agricultural pathogens, p 3.2.8:1-20. In Yates M, Nakatsu C, Miller R, Pillai S (ed), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 4th Edition. ASM Press, Washington, DC. doi: 10.1128/9781555818821.ch3.2.8.
Howard L and Levetin E. 2014. Ambrosia pollen in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Aerobiology, trends, and forecasting model development. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 113 (6) 641-646
Rivera-Mariani FE, Vysyaraju K, Negherbon J, Levetin E, Horner WE, Hartung T, Breysse PN. 2014. Comparison of the Interleukin-1β-Inducing Potency of Allergenic Spores from Higher Fungi (Basidiomycetes) in a Cryopreserved Human Whole Blood System. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology. 163: 154-62.
Barnes C, Alexis NE, Bernstein JA, Cohn JR, Demain JG, Horner WE, Levetin E, Nel A, Phipatanakul W. 2013. Climate change and our environment; the impact on respiratory and allergic disease. JACI: In Practice; 1:137-141.
Andersen GL, Frisch AS, Kellogg CA, Levetin E, Lighthart B, and Paterno D. 2012. Aeromicrobiology. In: Topics in Ecological Environmental Microbiology, T. Schmidt and M. Schaechter, Eds. Elsevier/Academic Press. pp 115-132.
Levetin E, Neaville W, Ausdenmoore R, Lierl M, and Bush RK. 2012. Aeroallergens and environmental factors, In: Manual of Allergy and Immunology, 5th edition, D.C. Adelman, T.B. Casale, and J. Corren Eds. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Philadelphia. pp 52-66.
Bunderson L, Van De Water P, Wells H, and Levetin E. 2012. Predicting and quantifying pollen production in Juniperus ashei forests. Phytologia; 94 (3): 417-438.
Rabito FA, Perry S. Davis WE, Yau CL, and Levetin E. 2010. The relationship between mold exposure and allergic responses in Post-Katrina New Orleans. J. Allergy, vol. 2010, Article ID 510380, 7 pages, doi:10.1155/2010/510380.
Andersen GL, Frisch AS, Kellogg CA, Levetin E, Lighthart B, and Paterno D. 2009. Aeromicrobiology/Air Quality. In: The Encyclopedia of Microbiology, 3rd edition. Ed. Moselio Schaechter, Elsevier, Oxford, UK. pp 11-26.
Horner WE, Barnes C, Codina R, and Levetin E. Guide for interpreting reports from inspections /investigations of indoor mold. J. Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008; 121: 592-597.
Gillum S and Levetin E. 2008. The air spora close to a compost facility in northeast Oklahoma: Part I-Spore trap sampling. Aerobiologia 2008; 24 (1): 3-12.
Levetin E and Van de Water P. 2008. Changing pollen types/concentrations/ distribution in the United States: Fact or fiction? Current Allergy and Asthma Reports; 8: 418-424.
Khattab A and Levetin E. 2008. Preliminary studies on the effect of the Burkard alternate orifice on airborne fungal spore concentrations. Aerobiologia; 24: 165-171.
Khattab A and Levetin E. 2008. Effect of Sampling Height on the Concentration of Airborne Fungal Spores. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; 101: 529-534.
Levetin E and Dorsey K. 2006. Contribution of leaf surface fungi to the air spora. Aerobiologia; 22: 3-12.
Levetin E. 2006. How well do counts add up? Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; 96: 764-765.
Levetin E. 2004. Images in allergy: An atlas of fungal spores. J Allergy Clin Immunol; 113: 366-368.
Newhouse C and Levetin E. 2004. Correlation of environmental factors with asthma and rhinitis symptoms in Tulsa, OK. Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; 92: 356-366.
Horner WE, Levetin E, and Lehrer S. 2004. Aerobiology. In: Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy, 3rd ed. R. Lockey, S. Bukantz, J. Bousquet, Eds. Dekker. pp 125-149.
Levetin E. 2004. Methods of aeroallergen sampling. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports; 4: 376-383.
Levetin E and Van de Water P. 2003. Pollen count forecasting. Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America; 23 (3): 423-442.
Van de Water P, Main CE, Keever T, and Levetin E. 2003. An assessment of predictive forecasting Juniperus ashei pollen movement in the southern Great Plains. International Journal of Biometeorology; 48: 74-82.
Levetin E and Horner WE. 2002. Fungal aerobiology: Exposure and measurement, In: Fungal Allergy and Pathogenicity, M. Brittenbach, R. Crameri, and S.B. Lehrer, Eds, Krager, Basel, 2002. pp. 10-27.
Levetin, E. 2002. Bioaerosols in agriculture and outdoor settings, In: Encyclopedia of Environmental Microbiology, John Wiley & Sons. pp. 404-416.
Burch M and Levetin E. 2002. Effect of meteorological conditions on spore plumes. International Journal of Biometeorology; 46 (3): 107-117.
Troutt C and Levetin E. 2001. Correlation of spring spore concentrations and meteorological conditions in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Int. J of Biometeorol; 45: 64-74.
Levetin E, Shaughnessy R, Rogers CA, and Scheir R. 2001. Effectiveness of germicidal UV radiation for reducing fungal contamination within air handling units, Applied and Environmental Microbiology; 67: 3712-3715.
Van de Water P and Levetin E. 2001. The Contribution of upwind pollen sources to the characterization of Juniperus ashei phenology. Grana; 40: 133-141.
Levetin E and Van de Water P. 2001. Environmental contributions to allergic disease, Current Allergy Reports; 1 (6): 506-514.
Craig R and Levetin E. 2000. Multiyear study of Ganoderma aerobiology, Aerobiologia; 16: 79-85.
Levetin E, Rogers C and Hall S. 2000. Comparison of pollen sampling with a Burkard spore trap and a Tauber trap in a warm temperate climate. Grana; 39: 294-302.
Sterling M, Rogers C, and Levetin E. 1999. An Evaluation of two methods used for microscopic analysis of airborne fungal spore concentrations from the Burkard spore trap. Aerobiologia; 15: 9-18.
Levetin E. 1998. A Long-term study of winter and early spring pollen in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Aerobiologia;14: 21-28.
Rogers C and Levetin E. 1998. Evidence of long-distance transport of mountain cedar pollen into Tulsa, Oklahoma. Int J. Biometeorol; 42: 65-72.
Portman R, Moseman R, and Levetin E. 1997. Ultrastructure of basidiospores in North American members of the genus Calvatia, Mycotaxon; 62: 435-443.
Icenhour C and Levetin E. 1997. Penicillium and Aspergillus species in the habitats of allergy patients in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, Aerobiologia; 13: 161-166.
Levetin E and Shaugnessy R. 1997. Myrothecium, a new indoor air contaminant? Aerobiologia; 13: 227-234.
Pettyjohn M and Levetin E. 1997. A comparative biochemical study of conifer pollen allergens. Aerobiologia; 13: 259-267.
Crotzer V and Levetin R. 1996. The aerobiological significance of smut spores in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Aerobiologia; 12: 177-184.
Levetin E. 1995. Fungi. In: Bioaerosols, Ed. H. Burge. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton. pp 87-120.
Levetin E, Shaughnessy R, Fisher E, Ligman B, Harrison J, Brennan T. 1995. Indoor air quality in schools: Exposure to fungal allergens. Aerobiologia; 11 (1): 27-34.
Shaughnessy R, Levetin E, Blocker J, and Sublette K. 1994. The effectiveness of portable air cleaners - Sensory testing results. Indoor Air Journal; 4: 179-188.
Horner WE, Levetin E, and Lehrer SB. 1993. Basidiospore allergen release: Elution from intact spores. J. Allergy and Clin. Immun; 92: 306-312.
Levetin E, Horner WE, and Lehrer SB. 1992. Morphology and allergenic properties of spores from four Calvatia species. Mycologia; 84: 759-767.
Levetin E. 1991. Identification and concentration of airborne basidiospores. Grana; 30: 123-128.
Levetin E, Jones N and Owens K. 1990. A Preliminary checklist of the Agaricales of Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Mycotaxon; 36(2): 337-343.
Levetin E. 1990. Studies on airborne basidiospores, Aerobiologia; 6: 177-180.
Levetin E. 1989. Basidiospore identification. Annals of Allergy; 62: 306-310.
Levetin E and Buck P. 1986. Evidence of mountain cedar pollen in Tulsa. Annals of Allergy; 56: 295-299.