Mites occurring in farm buildings as allergic agents and indicators in forensic analyses

Storage mites, especially several species in the families Acaridae, Glycyphagidae, and Chortoglyphidae are commonly found in farming and occupational environments. They are a source of clinically important allergens, and may also have a significant impact on forensic analyses. They may be of use in forensic situations, particularly as allergenic taxa, in relation to workers who are occupationally exposed to mites. Additionally, because many of them are present through all stages of vertebrate decomposition, they may provide valuable information as indicators of time and circumstances of death. This study aimed to investigate the possible occurrence and abundance of allergenic mites in farm buildings, as well as to examine and analyse collected material samples in relation to forensic medicine. A total of 58 samples from 15 farms in the Żywiecki district (Silesian Province, Poland) were examined as potential sources of allergenic mites in farm buildings with a special reference to forensic acarology. Mites were found in all the examined samples. A total of 4,473 specimens were isolated and 22 mite species were identified. Most of them were found in barns and pigsties. The species composition of the acarofauna was varied across the particular types of farm buildings examined. Generally, the dominant species were representatives of families Acaridae and Glycyphagidae (Astigmatina). This knowledge may be useful in a variety of cases or situations in the field of forensic medicine.

House dust mite (HDM) and storage mite (SM) molecular sensitisation profiles and association with clinical outcomes in allergic asthma and rhinitis: protocol for a systematic review

IntroductionIdentification and characterisation of single allergens at molecular level is important. Component-resolved diagnosis offers the possibility of higher diagnostic precision, thereby allowing better patient management. House dust mites (HDM) have a worldwide distribution. Studies from different countries have shown that IgE-mediated allergy to storage mites (SM) is important in rural and urban populations. With the availability of HDM and SM molecular allergen components, studies have investigated whether different molecular sensitisation profiles are associated with clinical disease outcomes. However, no previous systematic review has synthesised the underlying evidence.Methods and analysisWe will search Cochrane Library (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cochrane Methodology Register), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, ISI Web of Science (Science and Social Science Index) from inception to March 2020. Unpublished and ongoing work, as well as research in progress will be searched in www.ClinicalTrials.gov; www.controlledtrials.com and wwwanzctrorgau. We will contact an international panel of experts in this field. No language restrictions will apply; translations will be undertaken where necessary. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme quality assessment tool will be used to appraise the methodological quality of included studies. A descriptive summary with data tables will be constructed, and if adequate, meta-analysis using random effects will be performed. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist will be followed for reporting.Ethics and disseminationSince this systematic review will be only based on published and retrievable literature, no ethics approval is required. We will publish the systematic review in an international peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numberreviewregistry959.

Insect Protein-Based Diet as Potential Risk of Allergy in Dogs

Before insects can be used widely as an alternative source of dietary protein, their allerginicity should be investigated. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the potential adverse reactions of the immune system of dogs against Tenebrio molitor proteins. Dogs sensitised to storage mites T. putrescentiae and A. siro were included. Clinically healthy and clinically allergic dogs were compared. Proteins were extracted from mealworm larvae and their digestibility determined by in vitro incubation with digestive proteases. Mealworm protein extracts and digests were analysed by SDS–PAGE. Canine sera tested for the presence of mite-specific IgEs were used for subsequent Western blotting. LC-MS/MS analysis was used to identify mealworm proteins and their allergenic potential was predicted with the AllermatchTM tool. The binding of canine sera IgEs to mealworm proteins was confirmed; however, the differences between the two groups of dogs were not significant. Moreover, no clear correlation was found between sensitisation to storage mites and clinical status of the dogs. Altogether, 17 different proteins were identified, including tropomyosin, α-amylase, and Tm-E1a cuticular protein that are known cross-reacting IgE-binding allergens. Our results suggest that dogs allergic to mites may clinically express also the cross-reactivity with mealworm proteins.

Analysis of Results of Specific IgE in 100 Atopic Dermatitis Patients with the Use of Multiplex Examination ALEX2—Allergy Explorer

Background and aim: Progress in laboratory diagnostics of IgE-mediated allergy is the use of component-resolved diagnosis. Our study analyses the results of specific IgE to 295 allergen reagents (117 allergenic extracts and 178 molecular components) in patients suffering from atopic dermatitis (AD) with the use of ALEX2 Allergy Explorer. Method: The complete dermatological and allergological examination, including the examination of the sensitization to molecular components with ALEX2 Allergy Explorer testing, was performed. The statistical analysis of results was performed with these methods: TURF (total unduplicated reach and frequency), best reach and frequency by group size, two-sided tests, Fisher’s exact test, and chi-square test (at an expected minimum frequency of at least 5). Results: Altogether, 100 atopic dermatitis patients were examined: 48 men, 52 women, the average age 40.9 years, min. age 14 years, max. age 67 years. The high and very high level of specific IgE was reached in 75.0% of patients to 18 molecular components: from PR-10 proteins (Aln g 1, Bet v 1, Cor a1.0103, Cor a1.0401, Fag s 1), lipocalin (Can f 1), NPC2 family (Der f 2, Der p 2), uteroglobin (Fel d 1), from Alternaria alternata (Alt a 1), Beta expansin (Lol p 1, Phl p 1), molecular components from Timothy, cultivated rye (Secc pollen) and peritrophin-like protein domain Der p 23. The high and very high level of specific IgE to other lipocalins (Fel d 7, Can f 4), to arginine kinase (Bla g 9, German cockroach), and to allergen extracts Art v (mugwort), and Cyn d (Bermuda grass) reached 52.0% of patients. The severity of AD is in significant relation to the sensitization to molecular components of storage mites (Gly d 2, Lep d 2—NPC2 family), lipocalins (Can f 1, Can f 2, Can f 4, and Can f 6), arginine kinase (Asp f 6, Bla g 9, Der p 20, Pen m 2), uteroglobin (Fel d 1, Ory c 3), Mn superoxide dismutase (Mala s 11), PR-10 proteins (Fag s 1, Mal d 1, Cor a 1.0401, Cor a 1.0103), molecular components of the peritrophin-like domain (Der p 21, Der p 23), and to Secc pollen. In the subgroup of patients suffering from bronchial asthma, the significant role play molecular components from house dust mites and storage mites (Lep d 2, Der p 2, Der f 2—NPC2 family), cysteine protease (Der p 1), peritrophin-like protein domain (Der p 21, Der p 23), enolase from Alternaria alternata (Alt a 6), and Beta expansin Phl p 1. Conclusion: The results of our study demonstrate the detailed profile of sensitization to allergens reagents (allergen extract and molecular components) in patients with atopic dermatitis. We show the significance of disturbed epidermal barrier, resulting in increased penetration of allergens. We confirmed the significant relationship between the severity of AD, the occurrence of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis, and high levels of specific IgE to allergen reagents. Our results may be important for regime measures and immunotherapy; Der p 23 shall be considered as an essential component for the diagnosis and specific immunotherapy of house dust mite allergy.

Diseases connected with work in hay in Iceland. Causes and scientific studies

Diseases connected with work in hay have been known in Iceland for a long time. In 1981 scientific studies of these diseases were started in Iceland at the request of the Farmers Union. The results of these studies are summarized in this article. In studies of hay a great amount of storage mites, moulds and thermophilic actinomycetes (microlyspora faeni) were found in addition to allergens from mice and pollen. Symptoms caused by hay dust were mainly from nose and eyes in people with positive skin tests, but cough, dyspnea and fever were equally common in those with negative skin tests. The most common causes of allergy in farming families were storage mites and cattle, but allergy to cats, dogs and grass pollen were less common rurally than in the Reykjavik area. When comparing individuals working in heavy hay dust with those working in cleaner air, the former group had a higher likelihood of having a positive precipitin test against micropolyspora faeni, fever after work in hay and airway obstruction. It was shown that Icelandic farmers were more likely to get emphysema than other people irrespective of smoking. In a large study of homes in the Reykjavik area almost no mites were found. In spite of this, positive specific IgE tests against dust mites were equally common as in Uppsala, Sweden, where dust mites were found in 16% of homes. In further studies it was found, that 57% of people in the study had been more and less exposed to hay dust. They had either been raised on a farm, been on a farm in the summer during childhood or owned horses and fed them with hay. We have argued that cross allergy to storage mites may be the cause of a rather common allergy to house dust mites. A new study of middle-aged individuals has shown that allergy to storage mites is a little more common in the Reykjavik area than in Aarhus, Bergen or Uppsala. The most likely explanation is that they have more often been exposed to hay dust.

Clinical, Parasitological, and Serological Follow-Up of Dogs with Sarcoptic Mange Treated Orally with Lotilaner

Canine sarcoptic mange is a highly pruritic and contagious skin disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis. This case series describes the clinical, parasitological, and serological follow-up of a cohort of eight adult Saint Bernard dogs with confirmed sarcoptic mange, treated orally with lotilaner. Dogs were evaluated initially and after 14 days and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12 months for skin lesions, pruritus severity, presence of parasites, and Sarcoptes-IgG levels. A serological indoor allergy panel (IgE) was obtained for seven dogs at day 0 and repeated 12 months later in five dogs to assess potential cross-reactivity between S. scabiei and environmental allergens. Lotilaner was administered to each dog according to the manufacturer’s instructions and was repeated after one and two months without any concurrent therapeutic measure or modification of the husbandry conditions. Pruritus ceased after two weeks. The cutaneous score was reduced by 47%, and skin scrapings were negative for all but three animals. All skin scrapings were negative after one month. Lesions were absent after two months. Serological levels decreased gradually, but more slowly than the skin lesions, and two dogs out of six remained positive in the absence of skin lesions or symptoms. All dogs initially tested positive for dust mites and/or storage mites. The IgE titres remained unchanged 12 months later in the five tested dogs. This case report demonstrates the efficacy of lotilaner on scabies in a cohort of infested dogs under natural conditions and the potential antigenic cross-reaction of S. scabiei with house dust and storage mites.

Storage Mite Infestation of Dry-Stored Food Products and Its Relation to Human Intestinal Acariasis in the City of Minia, Egypt

Initial data on the prevalence of storage mites in dry-stored food products and estimates of the presence of mites in human stool in the city of Minia, Egypt are provided. In total, 847 samples were collected randomly from houses and retail stores between March 2017 and February 2018. In addition, 1,000 human stool samples were collected for the detection of the presence of mites. Mites were extracted from 285 of 840 (33.9%) samples, and mite contamination was found to be most prevalent in wheat flour (73.3%). In total, 11 mite species belonging to six families were identified, with the pest species Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) (Acari: Acaridae) (TP) being the most prevalent (91.2% of samples). The seasonal density distribution showed the highest storage mite density in March–April, followed by October, and the lowest in January. In addition, mites were detected in 87 (8.7%) human stool samples, with significant associations between certain occupations and some personal characteristics. Therefore, more attention needs to be paid to intestinal acariasis arising from mite infestation of dry-stored food products.