Diseases Transmitted by Blood Sucking Mites and Integrated Mite Management for Their Prevention

On a worldwide basis, mites are important nuisance pests and some are capable of transmitting disease causing agents to humans. There are many different species of bloodsucking mites, some mites live in people’s skin (mites that cause scabies), while other species may take blood meals on human hosts. For this reason, this article has been designed to highlight disease agents vectored by mites and evaluate various tactics for their efficacy in managing populations especially in houses. Fortunately, the majority of mites are free-living, but few of species are serious parasites of humans. Most of these are external parasites (they feed on the exterior of their hosts), but some species inhabit ear canals, lungs, intestine and bladder of vertebrate hosts. Their biting and bloodsucking behaviour causes considerable discomfort to their hosts and a few species also cause serious allergic reactions, such as asthma, in peoples. Understanding of mite’s biology and symptoms associated with mite infestations can help to determine if they are the actual cause of a particular problem. Leptotrombidium species of trombiculid larval mites (chiggers) can transmit scrub typhus in endemic regions, and house-mouse mite can transmit rickettsial pox in both urban and rural dwellings. Rickettsial disease encompasses a group of diseases caused by microorganisms rickettsiae that occupy a position between bacteria and viruses, and they can only survive inside cells. These organisms cause disease by damaging blood vessels in various tissues and organs, and in severe cases multiple tissues and organs are affected. Transmissions of disease-causing organisms, primarily of encephalitis, tularemia, asthma, scrub typhus, dermatitis, filariasis and mites as intermediate hosts of tapeworms have been substantiated. Further, mites are mostly ubiquitous and bothersome species of medical importance, and of these, most are scabies mites on human hosts. All patients with scabies and their close household and institutional contacts may be informed that scabies is a highly transmissible ectoparasitic infestation and several topical treatments, and an effective oral treatment are readily available and highly effective. Scratching of bite locations of mites is discouraged as it can result in secondary bacterial infections. Physicians suggest the use of calamine lotions and other itch creams to reduce itching that at times can be intense. Significant progress can be made when a brief exposure to kill surface microbes, mites and their offending by-products to ultraviolet light into a vacuum cleaner is conducted and while removing them. Finally, Integrated Mite Management (IMM) strategy is commercially available wherein vector control is the primary means of preventing vector-borne diseases.