House Dust Mites, Dermatophagoides spp.

The term “house dust mites” has been applied to a large number of mites found in dwellings associated with dust. The American house dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes and the European house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouessart) are discussed in this circular. The first permanent structures for houses date back to 6,000 to 5,000 B.C., but it was not until the late 1600’s that scientists became interested in the dust of houses. The pyroglyphids are parasites associated with birds and/or mammals. Kem (1921) found house dust to give positive cutaneous reactions in sensitive patients. Cook (1922) and Coa (1922) also found that dust extracts gave positive skin reactions in over 30 per cent of the individuals tested. Voorhorst et al. (1964) and Oshima (1964) first published their accounts that mites were recognized to contribute to the house dust allergy problem.