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House dust mites (HDM, or simply dust mites) are various species of acariform
mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...
s belonging to the family Pyroglyphidae that are found in association with dust in
dwelling In law, a dwelling (also known as a residence or an abode) is a self-contained unit of accommodation used by one or more households as a home - such as a house, apartment, mobile home, houseboat, vehicle, or other "substantial" structure. The ...
s. They are known for causing
allergies Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...
.


Biology


Species

The currently known species are: * ''
Dermatophagoides farinae House dust mites (HDM, or simply dust mites) are various species of Acariformes, acariform mites belonging to the family Pyroglyphidae that are found in association with dust in dwellings. They are known for causing dust mite allergy, allergies. ...
'' (American house dust mite) * ''
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' (European house dust mite) * '' Dermatophagoides evansi'' * '' Dermatophagoides microceras'' * '' Dermatophagoides halterophilus'' * ''
Dermatophagoides siboney 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' * ''
Dermatophagoides neotropicalis 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' * ''
Dermatophagoides alexfaini 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' * ''
Dermatophagoides anisopoda 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' * ''
Dermatophagoides chirovi 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' * ''
Dermatophagoides deanei 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' * ''
Dermatophagoides rwandae 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The curren ...
'' * ''
Dermatophagoides scheremeteroskyi 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' * ''
Dermatophagoides scheremetewskyi 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' * ''
Dermatophagoides simplex 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' * ''
Euroglyphus maynei 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. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The current ...
'' (Mayne's house dust mite) * '' Euroglyphus longior'' * '' Hirstia domicola'' * '' Malayoglyphus carmelitus'' * '' Malayoglyphus intermedius'' * '' Pyroglyphus africanus'' * '' Sturnophagoides brasiliensis'' * ''
Blomia tropicalis Blomia may refer to: * '' Blomia (mite)'', a genus of mites in the family Echimyopodidae * '' Blomia (plant)'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae {{Genus disambiguation ...
''


Taxonomy

The dust mites are
cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...
members of the mite family Pyroglyphidae.


Characteristics

House dust mites, due to their very small size and translucent bodies, are barely visible to the unaided eye. A typical house dust mite measures 0.2–0.3 mm in length. The body of the house dust mite has a striated
cuticle A cuticle (), or cuticula, is any of a variety of tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings of an organism, or parts of an organism, that provide protection. Various types of "cuticle" are non- homologous, differing in their origin, structu ...
. House dust mite faecal pellets range from 10 to 40 µm.


Diet

They feed on skin flakes from
human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
s and other
animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
s, and on some
mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal seco ...
. ''Dermatophagoides farinae'' fungal food choices in 16 tested species commonly found in homes was observed ''in vitro'' to be ''
Alternaria alternata ''Alternaria alternata'' is a fungus which has been recorded causing leaf spot and other diseases on over 380 host species of plant. It is an opportunistic pathogen on numerous hosts causing leaf spots, rots and blights on many plant parts. It ...
'', ''
Cladosporium sphaerospermum ''Cladosporium sphaerospermum'' is a radiotrophic fungus belonging to the genus ''Cladosporium'' and was described in 1886 by Albert Julius Otto Penzig from the decaying leaves and branches of ''Citrus''. It is a dematiaceous (darkly-pigmented) ...
'', and ''
Wallemia sebi ''Wallemia sebi'' is a xerophilic fungus of the phylum Basidiomycota. It is commonly found on highly sugared or salted materials, such as jams, bread, cakes, sugar, bacon, salted meats, and salted fish. It is also found in indoor air, house du ...
'', and they disliked ''
Penicillium chrysogenum ''Penicillium chrysogenum'' (formerly known as ''Penicillium notatum'') is a species of fungus in the genus ''Penicillium''. It is common in temperate and subtropical regions and can be found on salted food products, but it is mostly found in in ...
'', ''
Aspergillus versicolor ''Aspergillus versicolor'' is a slow-growing filamentous fungus commonly found in damp indoor environments and on food products. It has a characteristic musty odor associated with moldy homes and is a major producer of the hepatotoxic and carcin ...
'', and ''
Stachybotrys chartarum ''Stachybotrys chartarum'' (, ), also known as black mold or toxic black mold, is a species of microfungus that produces its conidia in slime heads. It is sometimes found in soil and grain, but the mold is most often detected in cellulose-rich ...
''.


Predators

The predators of dust mites are other allergenic mites (''
Cheyletiella ''Cheyletiella'' is a genus of mites that live on the skin surface of dogs, cats, and rabbits. The adult mites are about 0.385 millimeters long, have eight legs with combs instead of claws, and have palpi that end in prominent hooks. They do no ...
''),
silverfish The silverfish (''Lepisma saccharinum'') is a species of small, primitive, wingless insect in the order Zygentoma (formerly Thysanura). Its common name derives from the insect's silvery light grey colour, combined with the fish-like appearance ...
and
pseudoscorpion Pseudoscorpions, also known as false scorpions or book scorpions, are small, scorpion-like arachnids belonging to the order Pseudoscorpiones, also known as Pseudoscorpionida or Chelonethida. Pseudoscorpions are generally beneficial to humans sin ...
s.


Reproduction

The average life cycle for a house dust mite is 65–100 days. 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.


Distribution

Dust mites are found worldwide, but are more common in humid regions. The species ''Blomia tropicalis'' is typically found only in tropical or subtropical regions. Detectable dust mite allergen was found in the beds of about 84% of surveyed United States homes. In Europe, detectable Der p 1 or Der f 1 allergen was found in 68% of surveyed homes.


Health issues


Allergies

Tropomyosin Tropomyosin is a two-stranded alpha-helical, coiled coil protein found in actin-based cytoskeletons. Tropomyosin and the actin skeleton All organisms contain organelles that provide physical integrity to their cells. These type of organelles ar ...
, the major allergen in dust mites, is also responsible for
shellfish allergy Shellfish allergy is among the most common food allergies. "Shellfish" is a colloquial and fisheries term for aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs such as clams, mussels, oysters and scallops, crustaceans su ...
.


Oral mite anaphylaxis

''Dermatophagoides spp.'' can cause
oral mite anaphylaxis Oral mite anaphylaxis (OMA), also known as pancake syndrome, is a disease in which a person gets symptoms after eating food contaminated with particular mites. The disease name comes from reports of people becoming ill after eating pancakes made fr ...
(AKA pancake syndrome) when found in flour.


See also

*


References


External links


Dust Mite Allergy
on the
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for and controlling asthma, food allergies, nasal allergies and other allergic diseases. AAFA's mission is also to educate the public abo ...
website {{Authority control Acari and humans Acariformes Arthropod common names Arthropod infestations Building biology Cosmopolitan arthropods Dust