Seasonal changes of house dust mite population in Bitlis and Muş provinces of Turkey

This study was conducted to determine the dust mite fauna of houses in Bitlis and Muş provinces, the monthly value of mite numbers/g dust, as well as the impact of temperature, humidity and altitude on their numbers.

Dust samples were collected monthly from May 2010 to April 2011 from six houses belonging to three settlements; two of the houses were located in Bitlis, while another four were in Muş province.

All 72 examined dust samples were found to be positive with regard to mites. The number of mites found in 1 g dust varied from 25 to 2,740. Overall, 1,167 house dust mites belonging to the orders Astigmata, Mesostigmata and Prostigmata were isolated. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was the predominant mite (83.2%), followed by Lepidoglyphus destructor (6.3%), Acarus siro (2.7%) and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (1.9%). The mite numbers were higher in the warmer months of the year.

The dominant mite in the Bitlis and Muş provinces is Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and the highest mite numbers were found in months in which the outside humidity was low.