Tyrophagus Mites Under the Microscope

Tyrophagus Mite Debris

A good source for information on indoor mites is the book by A. M. Hughs, THE MITES OF STORED FOOD, Technical Bulletin No. 9, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, London, 1961. This book can be hard to find. A very abbreviated reference but a very useful one is "Pictorial keys for the identification of domestic mites" by M. J. Colloff and F. Th. M. Spieksma in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 1992, Vol. 22, pp. 823-830.

Tyrophagus putriscentiea (T. noxius included) is one of the most common mites in homes. It is known as the common mold mite and can be found in great numbers inhabiting established fungal colonies. It and other Tyrophagus mites have been documented as causing human health complaints since 1912. The first documentation of health complaints cause in homes by this mite was in 1957 though the Tyrophagus mites in general had been known to cause problems in a number of occupational settings. Many health problems in homes reported as "mold" problems may in fact be due to the presence of this mite. Tyrophagus is not detected by the allergen tests for Dermatophagoidies mites. (See Hughes, THE MITES OF STORED FOOD,p 42, 1961)