- 600 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Dust Mites
About This Book
Dust mites are present in almost every home – in our beds, clothing and carpets. Conservatively, at least 100 million people are affected by house dust mite allergy worldwide, manifesting itself as asthma, rhinitis or atopic dermatitis. Despite the growing recognition of this major public health problem, there is still no simple, effective, generally applicable strategy for dust mite control.
Dust Mites incorporates for the first time in a single volume the topics of systematics and identification, physiology, ecology, allergen biochemistry and molecular biology, epidemiology, mite control and allergen avoidance. It explains key biological and ecological concepts for non-specialist readers, discusses ecological research methods and includes identification keys to dust mite species and life-cycle stage. It also explores how characteristics of population growth, water balance and physiology of dust mites have contributed to their importance as allergenic organisms.
Many chapters contain new data, or new analyses of existing data, including global distribution maps of the most important species. Importantly, the book emphasises that studies of the biology and ecology of house dust mites should be regarded within the context of allergic disease rather than as ends in themselves, and that approaches to mite control in clinical management are subject to the same series of ecological rules as any other major problem in pest management.
This comprehensive reference is essential reading for anyone involved or interested in house dust mite research and management.
Frequently asked questions
Information
1. Identification and taxonomy, classification and phylogeny
1.1 What is the use of taxonomy?
Category of classification (taxon) | Scientific and common name (in brackets) of taxon, and important defining characters |
Kingdom | Animalia (animals, i.e. those multicellular, heterotrophic organisms that develop from a ball of cells – the blastula). |
Phylum | Arthropoda (arthropods, i.e. those animals with external skeletons and jointed limbs). |
Sub-phylum | Chelicerata (i.e. those arthropods with chelicerate mouthparts and no antennae). |
Class | Arachnida (arachnids, i.e. those chelicerates with eight legs and a body divided into two distinct regions). |
Sub-class | Acari (mites, i.e. those arachnids with chelicerate mouthparts plus a subcapitulum, with reduced segmentation of the posterior body region, and with a six-legged larva). |
Order | Acariformes (i.e. those mites with leg coxae fused to the body, anisotropic setae, a dorso-sejugal furrow and anamorphic postembryonic development). |
Infra-order | Sarcoptiformes (i.e. those Acariformes with a toothed rutellum, prodorsal differentiation and no solenidia on tarsus IV). |
Sub-order | Astigmata (i.e. those Sarcoptiforms with lateral glands and reduced setation of the opisthosoma). |
Superfamily | Acaroidea (i.e. those Astigmata with a clear propodosomal and hysterosomal division). |
Family | Acaridae (i.e. those Acaroidea with solenidion ω1 at the base of the tarsus and usually with a rectangular prodorsal shield). |
Genus | Acarus (i.e. those Acaridae with 12 pairs of notogastral setae and solenidion σ1 on Genu I more than 3 × longer than σ1). |
Species | Acarus siro (i.e. that species of Acarus with dorsal setae d1 not more than 2 × length of h1 and with setae d1 or e1 no longer than the distance between its base and the base of the seta immediately posterior to it). |
If they are also naturalists – and a great many of the best evolutionary biologists are naturalists – they go into the field with open eyes and minds, complete opportunists looking in all directions for the big questions, for the main chance. To go this far the naturalist must know one or two groups of plants or anim...
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Introduction What are dust mites and why are they important?
- 1 Identification and taxonomy, classification and phylogeny
- 2 Physiology and internal anatomy
- 3 Water balance
- 4 Ecology
- 5 Development, life histories and population dynamics
- 6 Methods in house dust mite ecology and biology
- 7 Dust mite allergens
- 8 Allergy and epidemiology
- 9 Control of dust mites and allergen avoidance
- 10 Conclusions and reflections
- Appendix 1a A catalogue of the Family Pyroglyphidae
- Appendix 1b A catalogue of members of the genus Blomia
- Appendix 2 Distribution of species of domestic mites, based on published surveys
- Appendix 3 Abundance and frequency of occurrence of domestic mites in house dust, based on published surveys
- Appendix 4 Concentrations of Dermatophagoides group 1 allergens in settled house dust, based on published surveys
- References
- Index