Abstract
The name “house dust mites” is commonly used to refer to species of mites belonging mainly to the Pyroglyphidae family (Astigmata) that are found in association with dust in the human dwellings. They represent the main source of allergens in the home and can cause allergic diseases. Mattresses often provide ideal conditions for mite colonization. In order to compare the diversity of house dust mites in the provinces of Panama and Panama Oeste in 2015, we collected dust from the surfaces of mattresses over an area of one square meter using the vacuum method. We obtained 50 samples using the vacuum method and recovered 10,225 mites. We found that the mites in our samples belonged to 15 families, 15 genera and 22 morphospecies. Relatively, high mean densities of mites per gram of dust on mattresses were obtained in the provinces of Panama (3,577 mites/g of dust) and Panama Oeste (6,273 mites/g of dust). The mite Blomia tropicalis was the most abundant species in mattresses in the Province of Panama and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was the most frequent one in Panama Oeste. Our results indicate that the mite community in mattresses is similar between PA and PO. However, our results differ significantly from those found in bedroom floors in a previous study. These differences correspond to a lower species richness, higher density and relative abundance of Astigmata mites in mattresses.
Highlights
Domestic mites are microscopic arachnids that occur in various households microhabitats and are traditionally grouped according to their ecological preferences as house dust mites (Pyroglyphidae), and storages mites (Acaridae, Glycyphagidae, Echimyopodidae and Chortoglyphidae (Arlian et al, 1992; Miranda et al, 2002; de Oliveira et al, 2003; Navarro et al, 2008; Colloff, 2009; Thomas, 2010)
We found no significant differences between the mite communities inhabiting the mattresses of PA and PO
Our results point to mattresses as a microhabitat that has a higher density of mites/g of dust, but a lower species richness than bedroom floors
Summary
Domestic mites are microscopic arachnids that occur in various households microhabitats and are traditionally grouped according to their ecological preferences as house dust mites (Pyroglyphidae), and storages mites (Acaridae, Glycyphagidae, Echimyopodidae and Chortoglyphidae (Arlian et al, 1992; Miranda et al, 2002; de Oliveira et al, 2003; Navarro et al, 2008; Colloff, 2009; Thomas, 2010). Fecal pellets of mites are the main source of allergens in house dust and may cause allergic rhinitis, asthma, conjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis (Fernández-Caldas et al, 2014; Gandhi et al, 2013) The feces of these mites contain a wide variety of allergenic compounds, mainly proteins, that triggers allergic respiratory disease (Sánchez-Borges et al, 2017). Sensitization occurs in the respiratory tract and on mucous membranes when mite feces are inhaled
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