Seasonal dynamics of house dust mites in dust samples collected from sleeping places in north-western Poland

Abstract

The most common families of mites found in house dust are Pyroglyphidae, Glycyphagidae and Acaridae; all are a source of many antigens responsible for allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the seasonal dynamics of allergenic mite populations in dust samples collected from sleeping places in apartments in north-western Poland. The mites were isolated from the dust using a saturated saline floating method. In 132 dust samples we determined: Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Euroglyphus maynei, Hirstia sp., Chortoglyphus arcuatus, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Gohieria fusca and Cheyletus sp. The greatest frequency was observed for D. farinae, D. pteronyssinus, Ch. arcuatus and Cheyletus sp., in the fourth quarter and D. farinae in the third quarter. Smaller coefficients of dominance were found for D. pteronyssinus, Ch. arcuatus and Cheyletus sp., and their greatest mean concentrations were found in the first and fourth quarters. Given the division of the year into heating and non-heating seasons, mites D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus achieved the highest mean concentration in the first season, and Cheyletus sp. in the second season. The analysis of the participation of developmental stages showed that the adults of D. farinae were more prevalent than juveniles in the first, second and third quarters, and imago stages of D. pteronyssinus were more numerous in relation to juveniles in the first, third and fourth quarters. The results confirm the high incidence of house dust mites in sleeping places in north-western Poland dwellings; the best conditions for the development of these mites, mainly D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus, occur in the fourth quarter and are the least favourable in the second quarter. In many cases, these results are consistent with data from other parts of Poland collected by various authors.