Dust mites (Acarina: Pyroglyphidae) in university campus housing in Central Europe

Abstract

Surveys of university housing in Central Europe have shown that dust mites and mite-derived antigens are more common in reconstructed dormitory rooms in Bratislava (Slovakia, Central Europe) than on non-reconstructed rooms, inhabited by men or women. The present study involved research at the Mlynská dolina University campus to determine whether or not dust mites were present in student beds. Examined rooms were selected according to their status (reconstructed / non-reconstructed) and by the gender of the occupants. Sampling over 12 months in 16 rooms recovered 419 mite specimens, including the cosmopolitan pyroglyphid, Dermatophagoides farinae. Mites were found in all sampled habitats with apparent preferences for men’s beds in reconstructed rooms (0.45 ind. g⁻¹); much lower proportion were found in non-reconstructed rooms (men’s and women’s; 0.07–0.18 ind. g⁻¹). Reconstructed rooms seem to provide better conditions for existence of D. farinae. This study showed nearly constant environments in reconstructed rooms year round (with higher temperature and humidity), compared to the non-reconstructed rooms which showed greater fluctuation in both temperature and humidity.