Demodex follicularum
This is a tapelift from the face of a woman experiancing a "crawling feeling. Amid the cosmetics and skin flakes, the mite is oriented diagonally from lower left to upper right in this image. The mite was between pores at the time it was collected.
Transmitted Phase Contrast Illumination
Definition/Function:
KINGDOM: Animalia DIVISION: Arthropoda CLASS: Arachinida SUBCLASS: Acari ORDER: Trombidiformes FAMILY: Demodicideae GENUS: Demodex SPECIES: folliculorum
These mites inhabit the human skin, living in the hair follicles. A closely related species Demodex brevis, lives in the sebaceous glands rather than the hair follicles.
