Dust Mites

Dust mites are tiny microscopic creatures that live in the dust that accumulates in our home. Mites are members of the Acari which include the ticks. They are part of the arachnid family which includes spiders.

These creatures do not bite but feed on dust and other detritus which is largely made up of skin flakes. They are associated with asthma as their faeces contain proteins that seem to aggravate allergic reactions. Most house dust particles are skin cells from humans and animals and the mites feed on this material. The mites are found in our bedding as well as carpets, clothes and furnishings. In fact anywhere dust collects.

Asthma and chronic skin diseases such as eczema have been shown to be linked to the level of dust mites. These diseases are over reactions of our immune systems to some environmental stimulus. It is not the mites themselves cause these diseases but their waste material. The wastes contain proteins that induce the inflammatory responses as our bodies ‘see’ them as foreign.