Abstract
Human skin provides a favorable habitat for the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mites. These are mostly commensals; they nourish themselves on and flourish in hair follicles, but curiously not within sweat glands and their acrosyringa, where the secretion of IgA into the acrosyringium and the constitutive expression of antimicrobial peptides like dermcidin may provide protective effect. A certain kind of mutualistic interaction between human Demodex mites and humans is likely based on the speculation that Demodex mites may play a scavenger role by removing excess sebum products and proteins or by feeding on the P. acnes that inhabit the same sebaceous follicles. Our skin may be likened to a botanical and zoological garden, supporting a diversity of species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Annam V, Yelikar BR, Inamadar AC, et al. Clinicopathological study of itchy folliculitis in HIV-infected patients. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2010;76:259–62.
Arsenović M, Pezo L, Vasić N, et al. The main factors influencing canine demodicosis treatment outcome and determination of optimal therapy. Parasitol Res. 2015;114:2415–26.
Becskei C, Cuppens O, Mahabir SP. Efficacy and safety of sarolaner against generalized demodicosis in dogs in European countries: a non-inferiority study. Vet Dermatol. 2018;29:203–e72.
Borgo SN, Sattler EC, Hogardt M, et al. PCR analysis for Wolbachia in human and canine Demodex mites. Arch Dermatol Res. 2009;301:747–52.
Burian M, Schittek B. The secrets of dermcidin action. Int J Med Microbiol. 2015;305:283–6.
Casas C, Paul C, Lahfa M, et al. Quantification of Demodex folliculorum by PCR in rosacea and its relationship to skin innate immune activation. Exp Dermatol. 2012;21:906–10.
Chen W, Plewig G. Human demodicosis: revisit and a proposed classification. Br J Dermatol. 2014;170:1219–25.
Chen W, Plewig G. Are Demodex mites principal, conspirator, accomplice, witness or bystander in the cause of rosacea? Am J Clin Dermatol. 2015;16:67–72.
Cheng AM, Sheha H, Tseng SC. Recent advances on ocular Demodex infestation. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2015;26:295–300.
de Rojas M, Riazzo C, Callejon R, et al. Morphobiometrical and molecular study of two populations of Demodex folliculorum from humans. Parasitol Res. 2012;110:227–33.
Demirdağ HG, Özcan H, Gürsoy Ş, et al. The effects of sebum configuration on Demodex spp. density. Turk J Med Sci. 2016;46:1415–21.
Dheilly NM, Poulin R, Thomas F. Biological warfare: microorganisms as drivers of host-parasite interactions. Infect Genet Evol. 2015;34:251–9.
Ferreira D, Sastre N, Ravera I, et al. Identification of a third feline Demodex species through partial sequencing of the 16S rDNA and frequency of Demodex species in 74 cats using a PCR assay. Vet Dermatol. 2015;26:239–e53.
Forton FM. Papulopustular rosacea, skin immunity and Demodex: pityriasis folliculorum as a missing link. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2012;26:19–28.
Gunning K, Pippitt K, Kiraly B, Sayler M. Pediculosis and scabies: treatment update. Am Fam Physician. 2012;86:535–41.
Kumari P, Nigam R, Choudhury S, et al. Demodex canis targets TLRs to evade host immunity and induce canine demodicosis. Parasite Immunol. 2018;40(3).
Lacey N, Delaney S, Kavanagh K, Powell FC. Mite-related bacterial antigens stimulate inflammatory cells in rosacea. Br J Dermatol. 2007;157:474–81.
Liang L, Liu Y, Ding X, et al. Significant correlation between meibomian gland dysfunction and keratitis in young patients with Demodex brevis infestation. Br J Ophthalmol. 2018;102:1098–102.
Maier T, Sattler E, Braun-Falco M, et al. High-definition optical coherence tomography for the in vivo detection of demodex mites. Dermatology. 2012;225:271–6.
Mehlhorn H. Human parasites. 8th ed. Heidelberg: Springer; 2016a.
Mehlhorn H. Encyclopedia of parasitology, vol. 3. 4th ed. Heidelberg: Springer; 2016b.
Mehlhorn B, Mehlhorn H, Walldorf V. Schach! den Blutsaugern & Schädlingen. Erkennen—Vorbeugen—Bekämpfen. Leicht gemacht für daheim und unterwegs. Düsseldorf: Düsseldorf University Press; 2012.
Metze D, Kersten A, Jurecka W, Gebhart W. Immunoglobulins coat microorganisms of skin surface: a comparative immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study of cutaneous and oral microbial symbionts. J Invest Dermatol. 1991;96:439–45.
Murillo N, Mediannikov O, Aubert J, Raoult D. Bartonella quintana detection in Demodex from erythematotelangiectatic rosacea patients. Int J Infect Dis. 2014;29:176–7.
Nashat MA, Luchins KR, Lepherd ML, et al. Characterization of Demodex musculi infestation, associated comorbidities, and topographic distribution in a mouse strain with defective adaptive immunity. Comp Med. 2017;67:315–29.
Palopoli MF, Minot S, Pei D, et al. Complete mitochondrial genomes of the human follicle mites Demodex brevis and D. folliculorum: novel gene arrangement, truncated tRNA genes, and ancient divergence between species. BMC Genomics. 2014;15:1124.
Palopoli MF, Fergus DJ, Minot S, et al. Global divergence of the human follicle mite Demodex folliculorum: persistent associations between host ancestry and mite lineages. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015;112:15958–63.
Sastre N, Ravera I, Villanueva S, et al. Phylogenetic relationships in three species of canine Demodex mite based on partial sequences of mitochondrial 16S rDNA. Vet Dermatol. 2012;23:509–e101.
Sattler EC, Maier T, Hoffmann VS, et al. Noninvasive in vivo detection and quantification of Demodex mites by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Br J Dermatol. 2012;167:1042–7.
Seyhan ME, Karincaoğlu Y, Bayram N, et al. Density of Demodex folliculorum in haematological malignancies. J Int Med Res. 2004;32:411–5.
Snyder DE, Wiseman S, Liebenberg JE. Efficacy of lotilaner (Credelio™), a novel oral isoxazoline against naturally occurring mange mite infestations in dogs caused by Demodex spp. Parasit Vectors. 2017;10:532.
Taieb A, Ortonne JP, Ruzicka T, et al. Superiority of ivermectin 1% cream over metronidazole 0·75% cream in treating inflammatory lesions of rosacea: a randomized, investigator-blinded trial. Br J Dermatol. 2015;172:1103–10.
Tatu AL, Ionescu MA, Cristea VC. Demodex folliculorum associated Bacillus pumilus in lesional areas in rosacea. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2017;83:610–1.
Thoemmes MS, Fergus DJ, Urban J, et al. Ubiquity and diversity of human-associated Demodex mites. PLoS One. 2014;9:e106265.
Yamasaki K, Kanada K, Macleod DT, et al. TLR2 expression is increased in rosacea and stimulates enhanced serine protease production by keratinocytes. J Invest Dermatol. 2011;131:688–97.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Plewig, G., Melnik, B., Chen, W. (2019). Demodex Mites and Demodicosis. In: Plewig and Kligman´s Acne and Rosacea. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49274-2_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49274-2_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-49273-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-49274-2
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)