House dust mite#Eradication

File:House dust mites (5247397771).jpg, but can be contained by anti-mite fabrics of a denser pore size.{{cite web |title=Best Fabrics to Exclude Dust Mites |url=http://housedustmite.com/best-fabrics-to-exclude-dust-mites |publisher=HouseDustMite.com |access-date=24 January 2019}}]]

House dust mites (HDM, or simply dust mites) are various species of acariform mites belonging to the family Pyroglyphidae that are found in association with dust in dwellings.{{cite web |last1=Denmark |first1=H. A. |last2=Cromroy |first2=H. L. |orig-date=October 1998 |date=April 2017 |title=House dust mites—Dermatophagoides spp. |url=http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/house_dust_mite.htm |work=Featured Creatures |id=EENY-59 |publisher=Department of Entomology & Nemotology, University of Florida, and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry}} Originally published as DPI Entomology Circular 314. They are known for causing allergies.

Biology

=Species=

The currently known species are:{{cite web |title=House Dust Mites: Ecology, Biology, Prevalence, Epidemiology and Elimination |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341258506|access-date=25 May 2021}}

Blomia tropicalis
Dermatophagoides farinae (American house dust mite)
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (European house dust mite)
Dermatophagoides evansi
Dermatophagoides microceras
Dermatophagoides halterophilus
Dermatophagoides siboney
Dermatophagoides neotropicalis
Dermatophagoides alexfaini
Dermatophagoides anisopoda
Dermatophagoides chirovi
Dermatophagoides deanei
Dermatophagoides rwandae
Dermatophagoides scheremeteroskyi
Dermatophagoides scheremetewskyi
Dermatophagoides simplex
Euroglyphus maynei (Mayne's house dust mite)
Euroglyphus longior
Hirstia domicola
Malayoglyphus carmelitus
Malayoglyphus intermedius
Pyroglyphus africanus
Sturnophagoides brasiliensis
Suidasia pontifica

=Taxonomy=

The dust mites are cosmopolitan members of the mite family Pyroglyphidae.

=Characteristics=

File:CSIRO ScienceImage 11085 A scanning electron micrograph of a female dust mite.jpg

House dust mites, due to their very small size and translucent bodies, are barely visible to the unaided eye.{{cite web |title=Why study the major cause of allergy, the house dust mite? |url=http://housedustmite.com/why-study-the-mite/ |publisher=HouseDustMite.com |access-date=24 January 2019}} A typical house dust mite measures 0.2–0.3 mm in length.{{cite web |title=The House Dust Mite: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus |url=http://www.microbiologybytes.com/video/mite.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516093842/http://www.microbiologybytes.com/video/mite.html |archive-date=16 May 2007 |url-status=dead |publisher=MicrobiologyBytes |date=2007 |access-date=24 January 2019}}. Note that the video is gone. The body of the house dust mite has a striated cuticle.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

House dust mite faecal pellets range from 10 to 40 μm.{{cite web |title=House dust mite excrements/ faeces HDM excrements |url=https://www.citeqbiologics.com/house-dust-mite-excrements/ |website=Citeq Biologics |date=1 October 2018}}

=Diet=

Dust mites feed on skin flakes from humans and other animals, and on some mold. Dermatophagoides farinae fungal food choices in 16 tested species commonly found in homes was observed in vitro to be Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, and Wallemia sebi, and they disliked Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus versicolor, and Stachybotrys chartarum.{{cite journal|last1=Naegele|first1=Alexandre|last2=Reboux|first2=Gabriel|last3=Scherer|first3=Emeline|last4=Roussel|first4=Sandrine|last5=Millon|first5=Laurence|title=Fungal food choices of Dermatophagoides farinae affect indoor fungi selection and dispersal|journal=International Journal of Environmental Health Research|date=1 April 2013|volume=23|issue=2|pages=91–95|doi=10.1080/09603123.2012.699029|pmid=22774849|bibcode=2013IJEHR..23...91N |s2cid=46508627|issn=0960-3123}}

=Predators=

The predators of dust mites are other allergenic mites (Cheyletiella), silverfish, and pseudoscorpions.{{cite web |title=House dust mites: Agents of allergy |url=http://www.acari.be/uk/pest_a.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229074807/http://www.acari.be/uk/pest_a.php |archive-date=29 December 2010 |url-status=dead |publisher=acari.be |access-date=24 January 2019}}

=Reproduction=

The average life cycle for a house dust mite is 65–100 days.{{cite journal |last=Miller |first=J. D. |date=23 June 2018 |title=The Role of Dust Mites in Allergy |journal=Clinic Rev Allerg Immunol |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=312–329 |doi=10.1007/s12016-018-8693-0 |issn=1559-0267 |pmid=29936683 |s2cid=49406343 }} A mated female house dust mite can live up to 70 days, laying 60 to 100 eggs in the last five weeks of her life. In a 10-week life span, a house dust mite will produce approximately 2,000 fecal particles and an even larger number of partially digested enzyme-covered dust particles.{{cite web |title= Biology of house dust mites and storage mites |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341258506 |access-date=20 May 2024}}

= Distribution =

Dust mites are found worldwide, but are more common in humid regions.{{Cite journal|last1=Madden|first1=Anne A.|last2=Barberán|first2=Albert|last3=Bertone|first3=Matthew A.|last4=Menninger|first4=Holly L.|last5=Dunn|first5=Robert R.|last6=Fierer|first6=Noah|date=2016|title=The diversity of arthropods in homes across the United States as determined by environmental DNA analyses|journal=Molecular Ecology|language=en|volume=25|issue=24|pages=6214–6224|doi=10.1111/mec.13900|pmid=27801965|bibcode=2016MolEc..25.6214M |s2cid=22325949|issn=1365-294X}}

{{cite magazine |author=Jennifer Frazer |date=February 16, 2017 |title=Why Do Dust Mites Seem to Shun the Western U.S.? |magazine=Scientific American |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/why-do-dust-mites-seem-to-shun-the-western-u-s/ |url-access=subscription}} The species Blomia tropicalis is typically found only in tropical or subtropical regions.{{Cite journal|last1=Dutra|first1=Moisés S|last2=Roncada|first2=Cristian|last3=da Silva|first3=Guilherme L|last4=Ferla|first4=Noeli J|last5=Pitrez|first5=Paulo M|date=2018-05-04|title=Mite Fauna Assessment in Houses of Two distinct Socioeconomic Groups From Southern Brazil|journal=Journal of Medical Entomology|language=en|volume=55|issue=3|pages=620–625|doi=10.1093/jme/tjx239|pmid=29281052|issn=0022-2585}} Detectable dust mite allergen was found in the beds of about 84% of surveyed United States homes.{{Cite journal|last1=Arbes|first1=Samuel J.|last2=Cohn|first2=Richard D.|last3=Yin|first3=Ming|last4=Muilenberg|first4=Michael L.|last5=Burge|first5=Harriet A.|last6=Friedman|first6=Warren|last7=Zeldin|first7=Darryl C.|date=2003-02-01|title=House dust mite allergen in US beds: Results from the first national survey of lead and allergens in housing|journal=Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology|language=en|volume=111|issue=2|pages=408–414|doi=10.1067/mai.2003.16|pmid=12589364}} In Europe, detectable Der p 1 or Der f 1 allergen was found in 68% of surveyed homes.{{Cite journal|last1=Luczynska|first1=Christina|last2=Svanes|first2=Cecilie|last3=Dahlman-Hoglund|first3=Anna|last4=Ponzio|first4=Michela|last5=Villani|first5=Simona|last6=Soon|first6=Argo|last7=Olivieri|first7=Mario|last8=Chinn|first8=Susan|last9=Sunyer|first9=Jordi|date=2006-09-01|title=Distribution and determinants of house dust mite allergens in Europe: The European Community Respiratory Health Survey II|url=https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(06)01363-7/abstract|journal=Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology|language=en|volume=118|issue=3|pages=682–690|doi=10.1016/j.jaci.2006.04.060|issn=0091-6749|pmid=16950288|url-access=subscription}}

Health issues

=Asthma=

House dust mite antigens are strongly associated with asthma development and severity; they are estimated to contribute to 60–90% of cases.{{cite web |title=Dust Mites |url=https://www.lung.org/clean-air/at-home/indoor-air-pollutants/dust-mites |website=American Lung Association |access-date=4 March 2023}}

=Allergies=

Tropomyosin, the major allergen in dust mites, is also responsible for shellfish allergy.{{cite journal |vauthors=Lopata AL, Kleine-Tebbe J, Kamath SD |title=Allergens and molecular diagnostics of shellfish allergy: Part 22 of the Series Molecular Allergology |journal=Allergo J Int |volume=25 |issue=7 |pages=210–18 |date= November 2016 |pmid=28239537 |pmc=5306157 |doi=10.1007/s40629-016-0124-2 }}{{cite journal |vauthors=Prester L |title=Seafood Allergy, Toxicity, and Intolerance: A Review |journal=J Am Coll Nutr |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=271–83 |date= August 2016 |pmid=26252073 |doi=10.1080/07315724.2015.1014120 |s2cid=1154235 }}

=Oral mite anaphylaxis=

Dermatophagoides spp. can cause oral mite anaphylaxis (AKA pancake syndrome) when found in flour.{{cite journal|last1=Barrera|first1=OM|last2=Murgas|first2=IL|last3=Bermúdez|first3=S|last4=Miranda|first4=RJ|title=[Oral anaphylaxis by ingestion of mite contaminated food in Panama City, 2011-2014]|journal=Revista Alergia Mexico |date=June 2015|volume=62|issue=2|pages=112–7|doi=10.29262/ram.v62i2.71|pmid=25958374|doi-access=free}}{{cite journal|last1=Sánchez-Borges|first1=Mario|last2=Suárez-Chacon|first2=Raúl|last3=Capriles-Hulett|first3=Arnaldo|last4=Caballero-Fonseca|first4=Fernan|last5=Iraola|first5=Victor|last6=Fernández-Caldas|first6=Enrique|title=Pancake Syndrome (Oral Mite Anaphylaxis)|journal=World Allergy Organization Journal|date=1 January 2009|volume=2|issue=5|pages=91–6|doi=10.1186/1939-4551-2-5-91|issn=1939-4551|pmc=3651046|pmid=23283016 |doi-access=free }}