Mite fauna and mite antigen detection in house dust found in residential areas in los baños, laguna, Philippines

Issue Date

9-2012

Abstract

Dust mites are a medically important group of animals commonly found in carpets and mattresses in houses. Antigens in their feces cause allergic reactions such as asthma and contact dermatitis. Dust samples were vacuum-collected in a special collecting bag from a one square meter area of living room floors of 100 randomly sampled houses in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines for one minute. Chromato-immunoassay ELISA (Mitey Checker) was used to detect mite antigenicity. Twenty-three species of mites were identified belonging to 7 families. Of these, Blomia tropicalis (265 mites/g of dust in 87% of households) of Family Glycyphagidae and Dermatophagoides farinae (71 mites/g of dust in 58% of households) of Family Pyroglyphidae were the most prevalent and abundant species. Forty-eight percent of households were detected to have low levels of antigen (≤5 μg/m2). There was a weak linear relationship between mean total mite intensity and antigen level (r = 0.129). Mean Dermatophagoides intensity and antigen levels were also found to have a weak linear relationship. More mites were found in carpeted living rooms (822 mites/g) when compared to non-carpeted living rooms (645 mites/g). Different floor types did not show any difference in mean mite intensity. Likewise, mite intensity did not show correlation with household size.

Source or Periodical Title

Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health

ISSN

0125-1562

Volume

43

Issue

5

Page

1114-1121

Document Type

Article

Physical Description

illustrations, tables, graphs

Language

English

Subject

Chromatoimmunoassay ELISA, House dust, Mite antigen, Mite fauna, Philippines

Digital Copy

yes

Link to Full Text

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