A sample of fourteen horse rugs and two saddle blankets stored in south western Sydney, Australia, an area of known high dust mite prevalence in the human environment, were analysed for the presence of house dust mites. Dust samples from the rugs, blankets and 16 control sites were collected using a vacuum cleaner with a modified attachment and filter. Dust mites were extracted using an adapted floatation technique. Eight rugs and all control samples were positive for mites, which were confirmed to be house dust mites of the genus Dermatophagoides. This study confirms that exposure to house dust mites from horse rugs can occur, indicating that house dust mite allergen reactivity on intradermal and serum allergy testing in atopic horses may represent true dust mite hypersensitivity. Nevertheless, quantification studies will be necessary to ensure that there is adequate mite exposure for development of hypersensitivity, and further evaluation of immunological responses, avoidance and provocation, and specific immunotherapy are required to confirm the clinical relevance. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to document the presence of house dust mites in the equine environment.
Conventional dietary assessment methods are based predominately on Western models which lack Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, methodologies, and social and cultural contextualisation. This review considered dietary assessment methods used with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations and assessed their applicability. Four electronic databases and grey literature were searched with no time limit applied to the results. Screening, data extraction and quality appraisal were undertaken independently by two reviewers. Out of 22 studies, 20 were conducted in rural/remote settings, one in an urban setting, and one at the national population level. The most frequently used and applicable dietary assessment method involved store data. Weighed food records and food frequency questionnaires had low applicability. Modifications of conventional methods were commonly used to adapt to Indigenous practices, but few studies incorporated Indigenous research methodologies such as yarning. This highlights an opportunity for further investigation to validate the accuracy of methods that incorporate qualitative yarning-based approaches, or other Indigenous research methodologies, into quantitative data collection. The importance of developing validated dietary assessment methods that are appropriate for this population cannot be understated considering the high susceptibility to nutrition-related health conditions such as malnutrition, overweight or obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
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