The prevalance of demodex species in faculty of health science students

Abstract

Objective: Demodex folliculorum and D. brevis are acari that can be found in hair follicles and sebaceous glands of the skin, especially on face of human. This study was aimed to reveal prevalance of Demodex species in faculty of health science students. Methods: Skin surface biopsy was performed in subjects who completed socio-demographic questionnaire. The samples were examined under a microscope for demodex species. Results: In this study, at least one species of demodex was found to be positive in 47.4% of 270 students. Coexistence of D. folliculorum and D. brevis was observed in most of the subjects (50.8%). In all positive cases, the presence of only Demodex folliculorum or brevis was found in 29.7% and 19.5% respectively. There was no relationship between variables and demodex prevalence. Conclusion: This study showed that demodex species infestation is a common but an ignored health problem in faculty of health science students. GirişBiyolojik sınıflandırma sistemine göre Demodeks soyu; Arachnida sınıfı, Prostigmata takımı ve Demodicidae ailesinde yer alır 1,2 . Bu soya ait Demodeks follikulorum ve D. brevis olmak üzere iki türün, insanlarda parazitik yaşam sürdüğü bilinmektedir 3 . Zorunlu parazit olan bu türler, kıl folikülleri ve derinin yağ salgılayan bezlerinde bulunur 4 . Özellikle alın ve burun bölgelerinde, ayrıca kirpik, kulak ve genital bölgelerde, omuz başı, ön kol gibi yağlı ve kıl kökü barındıran vücut bölgelerinde yerleşir 3,[5][6][7] . İnsandan insana yakın temas, tokalaşma ve öpüşme ile bulaştığı bildirilmiştir 3,7,8 .

The effect of skin moisture, pH, and temperature on the density of Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis (Acari: Demodicidae) in students and staff of the Erzincan University, Turkey

“…In the present study, 77.3% of the Demodex mites positive participants were infested with only D. folliculorum , 3% with only D. brevis , while an additional 19.7% was infested with both mite species. This is in agreement with other studies where D. folliculorum was the most prevalent species . It is quite possible that D. folliculorum is more prevalent in human skin; however, the fact that it lives in the hair follicles makes a detection easier than this of D. brevis , which lives in the sebaceous glands.…”

“…In our study, the prevalence of Demodex was higher in those who had lower education, washed their face only once a day, and did not use a personal face towel, which is in agreement with other studies, where it was reported that lower educational levels, less daily face washing, and sharing face towels was a risk factor to be infested with Demodex mites . Ayres proposed that failure to wash the face and overuse of oily or creamy preparations provide extra lipid nourishment to Demodex mites.…”

“…Although Demodex mites can be found in the skin of healthy persons without creating any pathogenic effect, they could become opportunistic pathogens if the immune system of the host is suppressed . The prevalence of Demodex mites in healthy controls in other studies, which were conducted in Turkey, varied between 7 and 74.7%, while the mite density varied between 0.97/cm 2 and 2.86/cm 2 . In several studies conducted abroad, the prevalence of Demodex mites in healthy individuals was similar to those in this study, lower, or higher, while the mite density was lower than in this study .…”

“…In the present study, more men were infested with Demodex mites than women, though the differences were not significant. While some studies also showed that Demodex prevalence is higher in men than women, in other studies the prevalence was higher in women or equal among men and women …”

The Presence of <i>Demodex</i> Mites in Patients with Dermatologic Symptoms of the Face

“…Bu çalışmada kadın hastalarda daha yüksek oranda Demodex saptanmıştır ancak istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmamıştır. Literatürde yayınlanan bazı çalışmalarda Demodex prevalansı erkeklerde kadınlardan(6,10,11,19,20,21)…”