Mites in Bedroom Air

VOORHORST et al. 1 found that, among the many constituents of house dust causing allergic reactions of the respiratory tract (rhinitis and asthma) in people sensitive to house dust, a hitherto little known Pyroglyphid mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus , contains allergens that are much more potent than those of other constituents. They also showed that excretory or secretory products of the mite contain the allergens. It therefore seemed probable that the mite could cause severe inhalation reactions should it become temporarily airborne and reach the upper or lower respiratory tract. Mechanical disturbance during bedmaking seemed a possible launching mechanism for making the mites airborne, especially because one of us (A. M. C.) found that D. pteronyssinus is very abundant in mattress dust.