Association of Diabetes, Lash Loss, and Staphylococcus aureus with Infestation of Eyelids by Demodex folliculorum (Acari: Demodicidae)

Abstract

Six eyelashes, three from the upper lid and three from the lower lid, were epilated from 256 subjects and examined for Demodex. D. folliculorum (Simon) was found in 16% of the subjects. Mites were more abundant in older persons and in persons with diabetes. Mites also were associated with a scarcity of lashes in the lower lid. Hierarchical log-linear analysis showed that the associations of greater mite abundance with diabetes and with madarosis were independent of age. The 43 persons from whose lid margins Staphylococcus aureus was cultured seemed to have been more likely to have two or more mites than those without S. aureus (11.6 versus 5.2%), although this difference fell short of statistical significance (P = 0.125).

Demodicosis and rosacea: Epidemiology and significance in daily dermatologic practice

“…70 The Demodex proliferation seems to be controlled mainly by cellular and humoral immunity, 68,71,72 which are normal among patients with diabetes (they are only affected by a polymorphonuclear dysfunction). 73 Therefore, the higher Dd observed among patients with diabetes in two studies 8,33 can be explained by their peripheral vascular insufficiency, which reduces the ability of the immune system to control mites. 33 Only 3 of 115 (3%) patients had known immunodeficiency: it appeared to us to be unethical to perform invasive investigations, to search unlikely asymptomatic immune deficiency, with patients in apparent good health only because they had demodicosis.…”

“…[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] To date, it has been implicated in the occurrence of a wide range of clinical features: pityriasis folliculorum, 11,13,14,[30][31][32] papulopustular rosacea (PPR), [3][4][5][6][7][12][13][14][15]17,18,30 granulomatous rosacea, 21,23,24,[26][27][28][29] and in some cases of isolated inflammatory papule, 22 folliculitis, 16 hyperpigmentation, 14 and blepharitis. 2,13,19,[33][34][35][36] The pathogenic role of the mite is indirectly confirmed when the dermatosis with high Demodex density (Dd) cures with an acaricidal treatment, conjointly to the normalization of the Dd. 12,15,18,30,…”

Morphobiometrical and molecular study of two populations of Demodex folliculorum from humans

“…A small number of Demodex mites seem to be harmless residents of the skin; however, the presence of larger-than-normal numbers of Demodex mites has been suggested to be pathogenic. D. folliculorum has been incriminated as playing a role in the development of clinical dermatological conditions such as rosacea, granulomatus perioral dermatitis, blepharitis, pityriasis folliculorum and pustular folliculitis, although much controversy persists (English and Nutting 1981;Gutgesell et al 1982;Clifford and Fulk 1990;Corredor-Osorio et al 2000;Dolenc-Volje et al 2005;Elston 2005Elston , 2010Kligman and Christensen 2011;Lacey et al 2011).…”

Blepharitis and Demodex spp. infection

“…and B. oleronius in patients with acute blepharitis. Clifford et al [50] noted the coexistence of Staphylococcus aureus and D. folliculorum in patients with diabetes; however, such a situation was not described by Lee et al [51]. Demodex spp.…”