demodex mites

[Janice]

I spend hours a day trying to research our diesease, so The title of the thread is Demodex mites but forgive me if I add other things, as I come accross items that I think may apply to us as well.
My search has led me to certain types of fungus and other skin problems and I will post these here.


In the vast majority of cases, the mites go unobserved, without any adverse symptoms, but in certain cases (usually related to a suppressed immune system, caused by stress or illness) mite populations can dramatically increase, resulting in a condition known as demodicosis or Demodex mite bite, characterised by itching, inflammation and other skin disorders. Blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids) can also be caused by Demodex mites.




Mites might cause mighty problems - Skin Disorders - Demodex mites linked to human skin diseases
USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Feb, 2004

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You are not alone. Most individuals have millions of mites living in their hair and on their skin. These microscopic bugs may be linked to thinning hair, acne, and other skin conditions. "Many people don't like the idea of bugs living in their hair or on their skin, and some get really bent out of shape just thinking about it," says Jerry Butler, professor of entomology, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Gainesville. "For some folks, it's enough to make [their] skin crawl. And bathing won't wash them off."

Known as the Demodex mite, the bug lives in the hair follicles of 96-98% of people and feeds on oils, hormones, and fluids around the follicle. Butler has counted as many as 25 mites in a single hair follicle. These itty-bitty insects usually are harmless and live in balance with their human hosts. High populations of mites, however, can initiate a variety of problems. "When something causes the mites to reproduce at a higher rate, they can break out of the hair follicle and may cause acne, hair loss, and [various] skin conditions. In some cases, the interaction with mites causes skin to actually slough off."

Studies show the mini-mite to be associated with numerous types of skin complications, but researchers are reluctant to conclude they are a direct cause of those situations. While Demodex may cause certain problems, it also is possible specific skin conditions become a breeding ground for mites.

Explains Frank Flowers, professor of dermatology at the Health Science Center: "There is a tenuous link [among] Demodex, acne rosacea, and folliculitis. However, no skin disease in humans has been conclusively linked with these mites." Flowers indicates that one of the most effective treatments for these disorders is metronidazole cream. "The link between mites and hair loss and other skin conditions is not conclusive, but we do know it's a major problem for dogs," Butler adds. "If you have high revels of hormones, you're going to have high levels of mite reproduction because these anthropods obtain their steroids from the host."

Butler warns that Demodex poses the biggest threat to people under stress or those with cancer or other conditions such as HIV/AIDS that suppress the immune system. Mite colonies can spread unchecked because patients cannot produce the antibodies needed to control the parasites. "Under normal conditions, mites produce an antigen when they feed in a hair follicle, and then the human body makes antibodies against the bugs, thereby keeping their reproduction low and in balance. The mites are actually needed to make the antigen that stimulates the body into making protective antibodies."

Butler notes that mites feed continuously inside the hair follicle. Three to five days are required for egg laying and hatching, followed by seven days for the larvae to develop into adults. Their total life span is probably several weeks. They are transferred from host to host by contact, particularly in hair, eyebrows, and tiny sebaceous glands on the nose.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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[Janice]

Demodex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Demodex mite)
J

Demodex is a genus of tiny parasitic mites that live in or near hair follicles of mammals. About 65 species of Demodex mites are known; they are among the smallest of arthropods. Two species living on humans have been identified: Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis, both frequently referred to as eyelash mites. Demodex canis lives on the domestic dog. Infestation with Demodex mites is common and usually does not cause any symptoms, although occasionally some skin diseases can be caused by the mites.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis
* 2 Demodex canis
* 3 References
* 4 External links

[edit] Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis

Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis are typically found on humans. It is extremely rare to see a human infected with a different species of mite, such as Demodex canis, though a few instances have occurred. D. folliculorum was first described in 1842 by Simon; D. brevis was identified as separate in 1963 by Akbulatova. D. folliculorum is found in hair follicles, while D. brevis lives in sebaceous glands connected to hair follicles. Both species are primarily found in the face, near the nose, the eyelashes and eyebrows, but also occur elsewhere on the body.

The adult mites are only between 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm long, with D. brevis slightly shorter than D. folliculorum.[1] They have a semi-transparent elongated body that consists of two fused segments. Eight short segmented legs are attached to the first body segment. The body is covered with scales for anchoring itself in the hair follicle, and the mite has pin-like mouth-parts for eating skin cells, hormones and oils (sebum) which accumulate in the hair follicles. The mites can leave the hair follicles and slowly walk around on the skin, at a speed of between 8 and 16 cm an hour - especially at night as they try to avoid light.[1]

Female Demodex folliculorum are somewhat shorter and rounder than males. Both male and female Demodex mites have a genital opening, and fertilization is internal.[2] Mating takes place in the follicle opening, and eggs are laid inside the hair follicles or sebaceous glands. The six-legged larvae hatch after 3–4 days, and it takes about seven days for the larvae to develop into adults. The total lifespan of a Demodex mite is several weeks. The dead mites decompose inside the hair follicles or sebaceous glands.

Older people are much more likely to carry the mites; it is estimated that about 1/3 of children and young adults, 1/2 of adults, and 2/3 of elderly people carry the mites.[3] The lower rate of children may be because children produce much less sebum. It is quite easy to look for one's own Demodex mites, by carefully removing an eyelash or eyebrow hair and placing it under a microscope.

The mites are transferred between hosts through contact of hair, eyebrows and of the sebaceous glands on the nose. Different species of animals host different species of demodex; and demodex is not contagious between different species.

In the vast majority of cases, the mites go unobserved, without any adverse symptoms, but in certain cases (usually related to a suppressed immune system, caused by stress or illness) mite populations can dramatically increase, resulting in a condition known as demodicosis or Demodex mite bite, characterised by itching, inflammation and other skin disorders. Blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids) can also be caused by Demodex mites.

There is some evidence linking demodex mites to some forms of the skin disease rosacea, possibly due to the bacterium Bacillus oleronius found in the mites.[4]
Demodex canis
[edit] Demodex canis

The species Demodex canis lives predominantly on the domestic dog, but can occasionally infect humans. Although the majority of infestations are commensal, and therefore sub-clinical, it can develop into a condition called Demodectic Mange.

Due to their habitat being deep in the dermis, transmission is only usually possible via prolonged direct contact, such as *****-to-pup transmission during suckling. As a result, the most common sites for early appearance of demodicodic lesions are the face, muzzle, forelimbs and periorbital regions. Demodicosis can manifest as lesions of two types: Squamous - which causes dry alopecia and thickening of the skin; and Pustular - which is the more severe form, causing secondary infection (usually by Staphylococcus) resulting in the characteristic red, numerous pustules and wrinkling of the skin.

The escalation of a commensal D. canis infestation into one requiring clinical attention usually involves complex immune factors. Demodicosis can follow immunosuppressive conditions or treatments, or may be related to a genetic immune deficiency. This is complicated by the fact that Demodex itself is thought to suppress the normal T-lymphocyte response. There are also certain breeds, such as the Dalmatian, which appear to be more susceptible.[5]

While direct treatment for severe cases is possible by applying the antiparasitic drug Amitraz to the skin, improved nutrition also helps and addressing any possible underlying immune-system suppressing diseases. The secondary bacterial infection associated with pustular demodicosis requires treatment with antibiotics.
[edit] References

1. ^ a b Rufli T, Mumcuoglu Y. "The hair follicle mites Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis: biology and medical importance. A review." Dermatologica. 1981;162(1):1-11. PMID 6453029
2. ^ Rush, A. 2000. "Demodex folliculorum", Animal Diversity Web. Accessed January 7, 2007.
3. ^ "Prevalence of hair follicle mites, Demodex folliculorum and D. brevis (Acari: Demodicidae), in a selected human population in western New York, USA", Journal of Medical Entomology, Volume 23, Number 4, 28 July 1986 , pp. 384-388(5)
4. ^ New Study Shows Role for Bacteria in Development of Rosacea Symptoms, National Rosacea Society press release, 3 May 2004
5. ^ Urquhart, G M (1996). Veterinary Parasitology, 2nd Edition. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-632-04051-3

[edit] External links

* Demodex, an inhabitant of human hair follicles, and a mite which we live with in harmony, by M. Halit Umar, published in the May 2000 edition of Micscape Magazine, includes several micrographs
* Description and pictures
* Demodicosis, an article by Manolette R Roque, MD
* Mites might cause mighty problems, USA Today (Magazine), February 2004
* Demodex in the Dog, by T. J. Dunn, Jr. DVM
* High resolution images of demodex folliculorum.
* Ted's mange cure.

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Infectious diseases - Parasitic disease: ectoparasitic infestation / arthropod (B85-B89,

[Janice]

Piedra . Piedra (Trichomycosis Nodularis) is a condition where the hair fibers are infected by a fungus. The visible indicator of a piedra infection is development of hard nodules on hair fibers. Indeed, Piedra is Spanish for stone. The nodules are a concretion of hyphae and fruiting bodies of the fungus, known as an ascostroma, from which the fungal spores are released. There are two basic typres of piedra, black piedra and white piedra, referring to the color of the nodules formed on the hair fiber. Black Piedra is due to the fungus Piedra iahortae and is mostly found in tropical countries while white piedra is due to Trichosporon beigelii and is found mostly in Europe and Southern parts of the USA.

The infection may affect hairs of the scalp, body and genital areas. Usually the infection is relatively benign. In parts of Malaysia, the nodules of black piedra are considered attractive and traditionally women encouraged its growth by sleeping with their hair buried in the soil. However, when the infection is severe the fungus weakens the hair fiber making it easy to break off. This can result in a patchy - diffuse hair loss. Treatment generally involves shaving off affected areas or a topical application of salycylic acid, formaldehyde. White piedra is resistant to azole based antifungals, but this category of treatments is used for black piedra. Oral therapy with either ketoconazole or terbinafine has also been used.

[Janice]

Check out the pictures of the demodex mite. Scroll down a bit ( beyond actual mite pics) and tell me if that dosn't look like what is in our open sores.
Catalogue of Organisms: Your Little Friends that are With You Always

[Janice]

It is a little long and complex read but just read the first part.
In the last three decades these fungus that normaly grow on plants and soil are showing up on humans, causing infection.




http://www.dermatophytes.reviberoamm...om/p109114.pdf

[Janice]

I guess I could go on and on, but the bottom line is a compromised immune system.
ya got the demodex mite going crazy, the fungul structures, the spring tails attracted to the fungus on your skin... and any other assorment of bugs, that are their for food or natural desire to procreate in this friendly enviroment, that happens to be our skin.

This chain reaction started because of our faulty immune system. There are lots of people ( most ) exsposed to all these things and never have a problem. You have to get your gut in working order with probiotics, and take your supplements to get over this hump. This is not just a skin disease or a bug disease or fungus. It is your immune system that is a mess.

We are constanly barding our bodies with toxins through our food, what we use on our body and the toxic enviroment. I think most of us are at an age when most of our years on this planet have been exsposed to these toxins, (not like our parrents) and we are getting on the old side, so we are becomming more apparent. We are the first toxic generation getting older. We are the yellow canaries.

[Janice]

Kinda cool, but not acurate on demodex mite especialy if you read the previous post.

YouTube - We are not alone

[gigi22]

Hi Janice. Thanks for posting.

About 7 years ago, I developed rosacea. Kind of strange to develop this all of a sudden. I would get a red, flushed face along with acne. It was pretty depressing.. but what I learned was that many people believe that the rosacea redness is due to an overabundance of these mites, and the bacteria they produce? causes the inflammatory response in people with rosacea.

Well, what helped me was a natural cream which contained sulfur. My rosacea improved a bit and it was no longer a huge issue with me. This cream worked better than anything my derm prescribed me. I never gave the demodex issue another thought after that. What I also didn't realize at that time was I also had Keratosis Pilaris over many areas of my body (legs, chest, and arms).. and later I discovered that demodex could also be responsible for this as well!

Well, last year, when I was really ill and before the sh*t hit the fan, I took some olive leaf extract to cleanse for candida. I began to feel crawling all over my face and eyelashes. It was sooo disturbing, but at that point I realized that this must be demodex! I had to rub jojaba oil on my face just to get them to stop crawling, but they were truly disturbed by the olive leaf extract. Anyway, since I have been treating for yeast and fungus with the special soaps and creams, I believe my demodex population has been reduced as well.

I do believe you when you talk about the faulty immune system. This was a warning to me that something was wrong a few years before all hell broke loose. In most people, the demodex population is kept in check and don't cause issues, but in other people, their population grows out of control.

[belle9]

This isn't mange is it? My hair is thinning, but I don't know if it's bugs or genetics. I have things that jump.

[Janice]

If it is on your dog I believe they call it red mange.
Did you read the USA today artical on the demodex mite. ( one of the first post) I think this is a real likely culprit for the swarming of the face and eyes that we all have exsperienced at the very begining of this nightmare.
Alot of people think there may be a conection between the mite and hair loss.
Janice