Patients allergic to house dust mites these days are not uncommon. Due to the relevance of the issue, there is a lot of conflicting information about ticks Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. What it is is the subject of our article.
A bit of history
In 1964, scientists from Holland and Japan discovered dust mites. They investigated that it was Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and studied the response of patients who were sensitive to house dust. The response from their body was positive. Thus, scientists have found that the presence of ticks in house dust is an allergenic factor for people with a genetic predisposition to atopic dermatitis. It was after these discoveries that the active study of dust mites began. How to get rid of them at home will be discussed later.
Varieties
Nowadays, there are more than 150 types of dust mites. All of them can be classified in three directions:
1. The first of them find food in house dust and do their breeding there. Such mites feed on skin flakes and particles of microflora living on the skin. These are pyroglyphid and also granary-mites living in the places of storage of cereals and flour. The last ones feed on human foods and mold. It is this variety that causes allergies in agricultural workers. There are ticks that cause allergic reactions in bakery and bakery workers (Acarus siro and Tyrophagus putrscentiae), others (Tyrolichus casei) are responsible for the appearance of “cheese” dermatosis, Glycyphagus domesticus cause dermatitis in grocery workers.
Since the beginning of the 90s, such inhabitants were increasingly found in people’s apartments. This is due to the storage of a large number of products in unsuitable rooms. People suffering from bronchial asthma acquired sensitization to barn ticks, its rate ranged from 6 to 20%.
2. The second variety includes predators eating ticks of the first species. These include cheyletid, gamazovye and others.
3. There are also ticks that fall into the dust by chance, without being able to breed there. This is the third variety. Such mites in pillows and beds of a person do not survive, unlike representatives of the first group. According to experts, they do not cause allergies in people.
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus - what is it for humans?
This is how pyroglyphid mites living in house dust and forming allergens for humans are designated. They are considered the most harmful to humans. How to remove dust mites is a question that worries many allergy sufferers.
The tick's body forms a large amount of protein and other molecules. It is these products of their life that cause such allergic pathologies as:
- allergic rhinitis (symptoms in adults and children - this is a profuse runny nose);
- atopic dermatitis, neurodermatitis, eczema (rashes on the skin);
- bronchial asthma (coughing attacks).
In rare cases, the development of systemic anaphylaxis may begin, especially when ingested products with a high content of ticks and their metabolic products. Then symptoms such as rhinorrhea, Quincke's edema, shortness of breath appear.
In response to the effects of tick-borne proteins, antibodies of the IgG class begin to form in the body of sensitive people to block the path of an allergic reaction. In medicine, a technique is used to determine the amount of these antibodies to establish a diagnosis in allergy sufferers.
General description and distribution path
In size, these ticks are from 0.1 to 0.4 mm, in their development they pass through several phases (larva, nymph), have sex, that is, they are males or females.
The tick's body forms substances that are allergens for humans. These particles enter the environment along with feces and accumulate in house dust. The sizes of the balls in which allergens are stored are in the range from 10 to 40 microns, the weight is 10-20 ng. Fecal balls easily fall into the air during, for example, cleaning, then settle on the human mucous membranes, thus penetrating the body.
Medical names
Nowadays, scientists have discovered and described at least 11 pyroglyphid tick mite allergens. They are designated by the names Der1-Der10, Der14. These are mainly digestive enzymes.
For example, the tick allergen Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus often causes a hypersensitivity reaction in humans. Simply put, this is an allergy to house dust. In response to the presence of ticks, a person may also experience rhinorrhea, shortness of breath, Quincke's edema, allergic rhinitis. Symptoms in adults and children will be similar.
Where do they live?
Described dust mites are spread throughout the planet. They are scientists in all corners of the globe. And in all countries there are people who have a hypersensitivity reaction to tick allergens. Doctors call such people sensitized.
According to one hypothesis, pyroglyphid mites appeared in the dwellings of people from bird nests. First, they populated bird nests, and then, together with a feather, they entered human houses. It is not surprising that nowadays ticks are found in pillows.
The spread of ticks is facilitated by humans themselves. They bring them on shoes and clothes, with used furniture, soft toys.
Ticks are not only in homes, but also in child care facilities, hotels, hairdressers, laundries, sanatoriums, in buses (in soft seats), trains (in mattresses).
In the apartment
In modern apartments, tick distribution is uneven. Most of them can be found in the bedroom, namely in bed. Here, the optimal conditions for their life are created - a temperature of about 25 degrees and a humidity of 75%.
The number of ticks may vary depending on the apartment, the place in it, and also varies in different periods of the year. The largest number of ticks recorded by specialists in Moscow apartments is 13,000 individuals per gram of dust.
What affects the number of ticks in the apartment?
Scientists argue that the number of ticks living in house dust directly affects the occurrence of hypersensitivity in humans. If there are more than 100 individuals for each gram of dust, this leads to the appearance of an allergy in a person who has a genetic disposition to it. If ticks are more than 500 per gram of dust, this situation can trigger an attack of bronchial asthma.
Scientists have found that an increase in the number of ticks in an apartment is associated with seasonality. Most of them are in late August - early October. It was at this time that patients with allergies discover their most frequent manifestations.
Dust mites: how to get rid of at home?
Various methods are used to control the number of ticks: mechanical, physical, chemical.
In any case, treatment against ticks should be carried out after examining the apartment by a specialist and ascertaining the exact number of individuals. The use of household chemicals in the apartments of patients with allergies should be extremely careful.
Special acaricidal products are recommended for combating house dust mites. A specialist can help you choose the right one. Such drugs guarantee the rapid death of all ticks in the apartment.
In combating ticks, washing bedding at high temperatures, as well as calcining them in the summer sun, helps. As folk remedies, weak solutions of bleach or salt, which treat the surface, are also recommended.
So, we found out that it is Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. This is the most common type of house dust mite. The study of this issue remains relevant for patients with a similar type of allergic reaction in the body.