Dear Colleagues

Dear Colleagues,

The 6th European Course on Basic Aerobiology recommended by the International Association for Aerobiology took place in Poznań from 7 to 13 August 2003. It was organized by the Allergic Diseases Diagnostic Center of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences and the Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznań under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Health of Poland – Leszek Sikorski MD. The course was didactic in nature and its participants came from all over Europe from centers and institutions engaged in aerobiological monitoring. Lectures and practical work in the field of aerobiology (sampling and counting techniques, recognition of pollen taxa etc.) were prepared by the whole team of teachers and assistants who wanted to improve the participants’ working skills. The course was concluded with a theoretical and practical examination and then certificates were presented to the participants. In Poland there are 14 specialists who completed such a course and received that internationally accepted certificate which enables them to work in various palinological centers. This gives Poland a third place in Europe after Spain and Italy. The team of teachers consisted of well known European scientists such as prof. F.Th.M. Spieksma (discovery of mite allergens), prof. S. Jäger – head of the Aerobiology Center in Vienna, prof. G. Frenguelli, prof. J. Emberlin and prof. C. Galan.
International courses on basic aerobiology have been organized every 2 years since 1993 and it was mainly the initiative of prof. F.Th.M. Spieksma, prof. S. Jäger and prof. G. Frenguelli. The Allergic Diseases Diagnostic Center of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences has been cooperating with the European Center of Aerobiology since 1995 in terms of providing systematic aerobiological data from the Wielkopolska Region. It was the initiative of prof. F.Th.M. Spieksma to organize the 6th European Course on Basic Aerobiology in Poznań and we are very grateful for this idea. Prof. F.Th.M. Spieksma became the scientific head of the course and co-chairman of the Organizing Committee. We would like to thank all the colleagues from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań for their involvement in the preparation of the course. First of all we would like to thank dr Alicja Stach for her great work and heart given to the course and the whole team of the Allergic Diseases Diagnostic Center headed by prof. Magdalena Czarnecka-Operacz for their help in preparing this event. It was obviously a great privilege for us to be selected for organization of the 6th European Course on Basic Aerobiology by the International Association for Aerobiology and by the Aerobiology Sub-committee of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI). We consider this course as a distinguished event for all Polish scientists dealing with aerobiology and palinology in their research. This volume of Advances in Dermatology and Allergology contains lectures presented during the 6th European Course on Basic Aerobiology in Poznań.



Prof. Wojciech Silny
Chairman of the Organizing Committee
of the ”6th European Course on basic Aerobiology“