ROLE OF ENVIRONMENT ON DYNAMICS OF HOUSE DUST MITES (HDM) AT PUNE

Abstract

Fortnightly intramural dust sample study, for two consecutive years from June 2011 to May 2013, at Pune, encountered 700 specimens of house dust mites included young ones, adult males & females and few larvae & nymphs. In all 10 genera and 12 species have been identified using authentic literature. Most of them have been found to be proved allergens causing allergy (health hazards) among sensitive persons. These investigations explored interesting findings. Some HDM like Dermatophagoides, Blomia, Acarus, Cheyletus etc. have been found to be delicate and exhibited tremendous impact of environmental parameters like temperature, relative humidity and rainfall. Moderate temperature around 250C and relative humidity (RH) around 80%, indirectly aided by frequent rains played significant role in hatching of eggs, larvae and nymphs growing into adults, subsequently leading to breeding and increase in mite load of intramural environment at Pune. Colonization and increase of mites had been found to be continued as long as optimum conditions prevailed during rainy season. These HDM have been found to be thermo sensitive and their population decreased at low (10-150C) or high temperature (350C& above) and low relative humidity below 25% found during winter and Summer, with little or no rain fall exhibiting adverse effects on HDM proving their thermo sensitivity and seasonal fluctuations of population dynamics following the concept of seasonal variations. While rat mites like Echinolaelapse chidninus (Berlese1887) and common rodent mite like Haemolaesaps glasgowi (Ewing,1925) (Fa:-Laelaptidae) have been recorded round the year in abundance, with minimum fluctuation in the mites population dynamics irrespective of seasons and fluctuations in environmental factors, thus disobeyed the concept of thermosensitivity. Dermatophagoides (Hughes) was dominant followed by Haemolaesaps glasgowi (Ewing, 1925), Cheyletus (Schrank), Acarus, Blomia (Bronswijk, Oshima), Caloglyphus (Zachvakin) etc. Tyrophagus was reported as fungal culture contaminant, Proctolaelaps in Drosophila culture and Dermanyssus gallinaeas poultry mite