Medical and Veterinary Entomology (2002) 16, 442±444

SHORT COMMUNICATION

Dermatitis in humans associated with the mites

Pyemotes tritici, Dermanyssus gallinae, Ornithonyssus
bacoti and Androlaelaps casalis in Israel
S . R O S E N , I . Y E R U H A M and Y . B R A V E R M A N *
The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and *The Kimron Veterinary Institute,
Bet Dagan, Israel

Abstract. Multiple erythematous papules accompanied by severe pruritus were

observed in humans bitten by the mites (Acari) Pyemotes tritici (Newport)
(Pyemotidae), Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer) (Dermanyssidae), Ornithonyssus
bacoti Hirst (Macronyssidae) and Androlaelaps casalis (Berlese) (Laelapidae).
Eight case histories are presented and the impact of these species on human health
is discussed.
Key words. Androlaelaps casalis, Dermanyssus gallinae, Ornithonyssus bacoti,
Pyemotes tritici, dermatitis, prostigmatic mites, mesostigmatic mites, Israel.

The straw itch mite, Pyemotes tritici (Newport), is a predator
of juvenile Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera
(Scott & Fine, 1967; Hewitt et al., 1976). When prolonged
storage or other factors deplete its natural food supply, the
mites may pass from infested grain or straw onto man or
animals, causing pruritic dermatitis (Betz et al., 1982; Kunkle
& Greiner, 1982; Tsyrkunov, 1992; Yeruham et al., 1997).
Several outbreaks of occupational dermatitis caused by
P. tritici have been described (Betz et al., 1982; Kunkle
et al., 1982; Yeruham et al., 1997). Generally, these out-
breaks have been confined to individuals employed in the
harvesting, transport and storage of grains or straw
products. In a few cases, the handling of straw products
intended for decorative purposes resulted in dermatitis in
individuals who were not normally considered to be at risk
of exposure to these mites (Betz et al., 1982).
The red mite of poultry, Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer),
and the tropical rat mite, Ornithonyssus bacoti (Hirst), are
obligate blood-sucking mites, common on poultry, wild
birds and rodents (Gaaboub et al., 1982; Song & Song, 1999).
They are also capable of biting humans (Mumcuoglu &
Buchheim, 1983). Androlaelaps casalis (Berlese) is a cosmo-
politan nest mite which is parasitic in all life stages. It may
Correspondence: S. Rosen, 45 Sinai St. Ramat Hasharon 47226,
Israel. E-mail: rosen@agri.huji.ac.il
prey on various arthropods, birds or mammals (Sakamoto
et al., 1979; Rosen et al., 1985).
In the present study, eight cases of pruritus in humans
in Israel were investigated and attributed to these four species
of mites infesting material in domestic or agricultural
habitats.
In case 1 (Table 1) a 59-year-old female suffered from a
pruritic rash consisting of thin-walled central vesicles and
surrounding erythematous areolas accompanied by itching.
The rash started on the torso and extremities and spread to
the face and the remaining parts of the body. The rash
always improved and disappeared when she left her house
for several weeks. An examination of the living room
revealed four large pictures onto which large leaves of
corn were glued for decoration. The patient was advised
to treat herself with an insect repellent, which helped. After
the dried corn leaf arrangements had been sprayed with
insecticide, no new skin lesions were observed. The other
members of the patient's family (an adult male and a boy)
were not affected during the entire observation period. The
pictures featuring dried corn leaves were taken off the wall,
shaken and brushed with a soft brush over a tray covered
with a white paper. House dust was also collected and
examined under a dissecting microscope (50).
In case 2 (Table 1) hay bales were arranged for a party on
a farm. During the evening, most of the participants who
sat on the hay bales suffered from itching. One to two hours

442 # 2002 The Royal Entomological Society


Table 1. Dermatitis caused by P. tritici in straw used for occupational or decorative purposes. M ˆ male, F ˆ female, C ˆ children.
No. of
Case no. locations Location
1 1 Mediterranean coastal plain
2 1 Inner valleys
3 15 Inner valleys
after exposure, multiple erythematous papules were
observed, mostly on the back, thorax and abdomen, belt
area and arms, accompanied by severe pruritus, which
sometimes persisted for several days. Four of the patients
also suffered from fever and vomiting. The lesions in most
patients disappeared without any specific therapy (31 out of
35 patients). In case 3 (Table 1) during 1983±1998 a survey
was conducted on 15 farms, in which 43 patients complained
about skin lesions, including papules, oedema and severe
itching all over the body, after exposure to hay bales on the
farm. The lesions disappeared without any specific therapy.
In cases 2 and 3, samples of the wheat hay bales and other
stored products were placed in Berlese funnels under a 60 W
light for 3 days. The arthropods present were extracted into
vials containing 70% ethanol. The mites were removed from
the vials and slide-mounted for microscopical examination.
Skin scrapings from the infested persons were examined
microscopically.
In cases 4±8 (Table 2), all patients suffered from a small
reddish papulous dermatitis, accompanied by severe prur-
itus, which disappeared after 2±6 days without any specific
therapy. The lesions were distributed over most of the body,
especially intensely on the arms, torso and back. In four out
of 13 people the lesions lasted up to 2 weeks, and in two of
the cases, for 3 weeks. In all cases, mites had been observed
on the patient or in their home or in work place. In case 4,
a man suffered from dermatitis, apparently caused by mites
that he saw during the night crawling on his body. In case 5,
mites were found crawling on the window from a pigeon's
(Columba livia) nest into a room which was shared by two
sisters. In case 6, a man and a child suffered from a severe
dermatitis all over the body and mites were found crawling
on the wall and window frame in the bedroom and other
parts of the house. There was a space between the ceiling
and the roof in which rats (Rattus norvegicus) were found
nesting. In case 7, poultry house workers (seven males)
suffered from severe itching and dermatitis after they had
completed the first early egg collection. They saw mites
crawling on them and on the eggs that they collected. In
Table 2. Occupational and non-occupational dermatitis caused by mesostigmatic mites. M ˆ male, F ˆ female, C ˆ children.
Case no. Date Location
4 3 Dec. 2000 Inner valleys
5 15 Feb. 1999 Mediterranean coastal plain
6 4 Nov. 1998 Judean Hills
7 8 June 1997 Mediterranean coastal plain
8 2 July 1996 Mediterranean coastal plain
# 2002 The Royal Entomological Society, Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 16, 442±444
Mite-mediated dermatitis in humans 443
No. of people
affected (sex) Origin of mites
1 (F) Decorative corn leaves
35 (20M, 15F) Hay bales
43 (36M, 7F) Alfalfa, wheat, oat meal, vicia, barley
case 8, a 2-year-old child was covered by red itching papules
in the morning. Mites were found still stuck on his head,
and others were crawling on the wall and window near his
bed. On an air conditioner box near the window was a
sparrow (Passer domesticus) nest.
In cases 4±8, where the mites were found on the patient or
in their house or work place, they were collected directly
into small vials containing 70% ethanol, prior to further
examination. Where bird or rodent nests were observed,
they were collected and the arthropods extracted through
Berlese funnels, as described above.
Identification of the Mesostigmata collected was according
to Hirst (1922), Baker et al. (1956), Zumpt & Till (1958),
Zumpt (1961) and Krantz (1978). Four species of mites were
identified: one Prostigmatic mite, P. tritici, and three
Mesostigmatic mites, D. gallinae, O. bacoti and A. casalis.
No other ectoparasites were found. In most cases the lesions
disappeared without any specific therapy after a few days of
continuously avoiding contact with mites.
Most of the infestations among farmers with P. tritici,
occurred between August and November, except for one
case, which occurred in February (case 3, Table 1). This
seasonality probably reflects the peaking of the mite popu-
lation during this period. Similar observations have been
described elsewhere (Ormsby, 1948; Kunkle et al., 1982).
Seventy-nine patients suffered from pruritic dermatitis caused
by P. tritici. Our observations indicate that straw itch mite
dermatitis is apparently common, mainly in farmers, but it
may appear at lower frequently in people who are exposed to
the mites because of the use of straw for decorative purposes.
In contrast to the cases of occupational dermatitis in farmers,
with obvious causes, the cases of domestic or decorative
origin are harder to solve (Betz et al., 1982).
Thirteen patients suffered from pruritic dermatitis caused
by O. bacoti, A. casalis and D. gallinae. Dermatitis caused
by those mites elicited very similar skin lesions and lasted
from a few days up to several weeks. Similar findings in
cases of dermatitis caused by O. bacoti have also been
reported (Mumcuoglu et al., 1983).
No. of people
affected (sex) Mite sp. Host/Nest
1 (M) Ornithonyssus bacoti Rattus norvegicus
2 (F) Androlaelaps casalis Columba livia
2 (M,C) Androlaelaps casalis Rattus norvegicus
7 (M) Dermanyssus gallinae Gallus gallus
1 (C) Dermanyssus gallinae Passer domesticus
444 S. Rosen et al.
Mesostigmatic mites such as those mentioned above
might be a reservoir for or vectors of zoonotic viruses
such as West Nile fever, Haemorrhagic fever with renal
syndrome (HFRS) and tick borne encephalitis (Tagil0 -tsev
et al., 1974; Song-Gan & Song-G, 1999).
In Israel and elsewhere, poultry houses and wild birds
commonly serve as habitats for A. casalis and Androlaelaps
glasgowi (Ewing) (Tomanovic et al., 1977; Rosen et al.,
1985). Dermanyssus gallinae is also a common mite in poultry
houses and on wild birds in Israel and has been detected
by farmers in the early morning egg collection, probably
because the mites infest hens at night and retreat into
crevices at dawn. In the present study, the poultry house
was probably the source of the mites that caused the
observed dermatitis. The mite infestation rate of hens is
significantly higher than in wild birds (Rosen et al.,
1985). Cases of dermatitis seen here caused by blood-
sucking mesostigmatic mites that originated from various
hosts such as birds and rodents have not been recorded
previously in Israel.
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of Robert
L. Smiley (Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Beltsville,
MD, U.S.A.), who identified the Pyemotes tritici mites.
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