Demodex mites are the most common ecto-parasite found mainly on facial skin of humans. These mites represent a part of the usual skin flora. Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis are the only species confirmed in humans. Demodex sp. can be pathogenic as a result of many risk fac-tors. Presence of increased number of mite could cause numerous ocular and skin lesions called demodicosis. Early detection of demodicois is essential for patient health and accurate treatment Demodex mites are permenant ecto-para- sites of the family Demodicidae of order Ac-arina of the class Arachnida of phylum of Arthropoda (Lam et al, 2018). Demodex de-rives from the Greek expression ‘Demos’ for fat and ‘Dex’ for worm (Noreen et al, 2011). Demodicosis, also called Demodex folliculi-tis in humans and demodectic mange or red mange in animals, is caused by sensitivity to and overpopulation of Demodex spp. as the host's immune system is unable to keep the mites under control (Smith et al, 2022). Review and Discussion Each animal species hosting these mites has specific Demodex species (Sędzikowska et al, 2018). A total of 140 species of Dem- odex was detected in mammals (Litwin et al, 2017), two species are recognized in man, Demodex folliculorum inhabit hair follicles and Demodex brevis, inhabit the sebaceous glands )Paichitrojjana and Chalermchai, 2024). Demodex mites can be a pathogenic parasite (Marquardt-Feszler et al, 2022). Some studies reported that the Demodex mites have been accompanied with rosacea, dermatitis, pityriasis folliculorum, alopecia and blepharitis (Erdal and Albayrak, 2022), and otitis externa (Horváth et al, 2011). Nourishment of mites on bacteria that colo-nize the follicles may be useful for the host (a symbiotic relationship) |
