Biology and ecology of dust mites

In the dust there are at least 35 different mites out of 22 familys. But the 'real' dust mites are out of the family pyroglyphidae. 13 species of this family live in the dust, but only four of them exist all over the world. These are :

Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus
Dermatophagoides farinae
Dermatophagoides microceras
Euroglyphus maynei

The first two mites are over 80% of the mite population in the dust.

Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus	72,8%
Dermatophagoides farinae	10,0%
Lepidoglyphus destructor	5,4%
Tyrophagus	1,4%
Euroglyphus maynei	1,2%
Gylciphagus domesticus	0,4%
Acarus siro	0,2%

Because of the relations, these have the main allergologic importance.

Life conditions for dust mites :

Effects on the mites	temperature	relative humidity
optimal conditions	25-28°C	70-75%
ability of reproduction	10-37°C
able to live for 21 days	-1°C
able to live for 1 day	45°C
able to live for 1 hour	60°C

Dust mites are mainly feeding on human skin particles, and are so closely related to man.

As dust is extremely dry, dust mites need a special microclimate for an optimal development. The mattresses of bedrooms provide with a temperature of 25°C optimal living conditions and can be seen as a craddle of each mite population, from where the population spreads to discover new living areas.

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