House dust mites (Acari: Astigmata) from mattresses in Panama

Abstract

The name “house dust mites” is commonly used to refer to species of mites belonging mainly to the Pyroglyphidae family (Astigmata) that are found in association with dust in the human dwellings. They represent the main source of allergens in the home and can cause allergic diseases. Mattresses often provide ideal conditions for mite colonization. In order to compare the diversity of house dust mites in the provinces of Panama and Panama Oeste in 2015, we collected dust from the surfaces of mattresses over an area of one square meter using the vacuum method. We obtained 50 samples using the vacuum method and recovered 10,225 mites. We found that the mites in our samples belonged to 15 families, 15 genera and 22 morphospecies. Relatively, high mean densities of mites per gram of dust on mattresses were obtained in the provinces of Panama (3,577 mites/g of dust) and Panama Oeste (6,273 mites/g of dust). The mite Blomia tropicalis was the most abundant species in mattresses in the Province of Panama and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was the most frequent one in Panama Oeste. Our results indicate that the mite community in mattresses is similar between PA and PO. However, our results differ significantly from those found in bedroom floors in a previous study. These differences correspond to a lower species richness, higher density and relative abundance of Astigmata mites in mattresses.