Invasion of a House by the Dog Parasite <i>Cheyletiella yasguri</i> (Smiley 1965), a Mite Causing Prurigo in Man

Abstract

A case of prurigo parasitaria was studied together with the microfauna of the house inhabited by the patient. It appeared that furniture and floor of the living room were infested with high numbers of Cheyletiella yasguri. The family pet, a dog, seemed to be the source of the infestation. It was highly infested but showed no symptoms. Treatment of the dog with derrisroot powder killed the mites, and at the same time cleared up the symptoms of the patient.

Systemic manifestations of Cheyletiella infestation in man

“…Although the concept of a “bite and run” has been adopted in Cheyletiella dermatitis, 4 the authors decided to treat both the animal and the owner. Not only because of systemic manifestations in the patient, but because of the fact that “free‐living” Cheyletiella mites from the house may cause dermatitis 4,13 and we suspected its presence. Thorough general cleaning of the house was recommended to the patient.…”

“…Only rarely, do unattached “free‐living” Cheyletiella mites cause dermatitis. Mites can be detected from quilts, 4 the floors and furniture 13 …”

Cheyletiella Dermatitis: A Case Report

“…Larva, nimf ve erişkin erkek akarlar konaktan ayrıldığı takdirde 48 saat içinde ölürken; erişkin dişilerin ve muhtemelen yumurtaların konak dışında en az 10 gün daha yaşayabildikleri gösterilmiştir (9). Nadiren de olsa ev içinde özellikle mobilyalar, döşeme, şil-te ve yorganlarda bu şekilde serbest yaşayan akarlar olabilir (3,10). İnsandaysa akar saptanmaz, çünkü akar insanda tünel kazmaz veya çoğalmaz.…”

Allergic Responses to Infectious Agents

“…The source of infection may be the furniture and floor of the living room, sometimes even a family pet, a dog or cat (e.g. Cheyletiella yasguri [332] or C. parasitivorax [49]) mite parasite. In unsensitized human skin exposed to the C. mite, papules developed and faded off within several hours.…”

“…After iterated exposure to the mite for some months the subjects seemed to have been sensitized to the mite and the lesions prevailed for several days [49]. In other cases harvest mites, chiggers (Trombiculidae, Dermanyssidae or Sarcoptidae) may be the causative agents of prurigo parasitaria [332].…”