Useful websites & relevant journal articles*:
Listed below are just some of the mites which can (or might) affect humans, with links to further information about them. Always ask about contact with animals and plant materials, occupation and hobbies, and remember that parasites are masters of adaptation. Some species may attack humans if their natural host is not available. Don’t wait to find a published report before being suspicious. Remember that reduced immunity is likely to allow proliferation so clinical signs could appear or progress in response to immunosuppressant medication.
- Prostigmata: mites with a respiratory system which opens near the chelicerae (front appendages/fangs)
| Common name | Scientific name & further information | Habitat/source | Notable features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiggers’/ ‘Harvest/ Scrub Itch’ Mites | (Trombicula alfredugesi) 2, 3 , 4 | Grasslands. May transmit scrub typhus, rickettsiosis. | Often a line of small red pimples or pustules, often clustered around waist or lower legs, softer skin and folds due to having weak mouth parts. |
| Eyelash Mites | Demodex folliculorum, D.brevis Photos and evolutionary history5 & Clues for Demodex in skin6(section 6.3) | Hair follicles/ sebaceous glands of most mammals. Possible role in the ‘Allergic March’.6 | Highest levels around the orifices, eyes & upper torso. Demodectic mange often affects face and paws in dogs so consider hand and foot involvement in humans. Contain Der f allergens (as found in house dust mites) which may enter the respiratory system via tear fluids .6 |
| ‘Straw itch’ mite | (Pyemotes ventricosus)7 | Hay & grain | Affect insects, bees & humans, injecting neurotoxic venom. |
| ‘Walking dandruff’ mite | (Cheyletiella)8 | Cats, dogs & rabbits | Unrelenting itch, sometime seen as moving specks. |
- Astigmata: respiratory openings are absent
| Common name | Scientific name & further information | Habitat/source | Notable features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird ‘Scaly leg mite’ | (Cnemidocoptes)9 | Poultry, pigeons, nests | Crawling sensation. |
| ‘Dust mites’ | (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus)10 (Dermatophagoides farina)10 | Soft furnishings | Feed on skin cells, need high humidity. |
| ‘Ear mites’ | (Otodectes)11 | Dogs & cats | Ear itching /pain. |
| Horse ‘feather mites’/ ’chorioptic mange’ | (Chorioptes)12 | Horses & stable areas | Itchy scabs initially just on lower legs. |
| Notoedric scabies | (Notoedres)13 | Cats | Highly itchy lesions on hands & legs. |
| ‘Scabies’/ ‘Sarcoptic mange’ | (Sarcoptes scabiei) For patients14 For clinicians15 | Humans, especially children | Intense itching with thread-like burrows. |
| ‘Sheep itch’, ‘sheep scab’, ‘cattle scab’/ ‘psoroptic mange’ | (Psoroptes)16 | Farm animals | Intensely itching skin lesions & physical emaciation. |
- Mesostigmata: respiratory openings are above legs III-IV
| Common name | Scientific name & further information | Habitat/source | Notable features |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Chicken mite’ | (Dermanyssus gallinae)3 | Poultry | Carry salmonella. |
| Nasal mites | (Halarachnidae and Macronyssidae)3 (Pneumonyssus canum) 17 | Dogs and snakes | Affect nasal passages & sinuses. |
The following infections and infestations are not mites but cause major distress to patients (this list will grow!)
- ‘Bed bugs’ – (Hemiptera, Cimicidae)18 also see CDC advice)
- ‘Hair fungus’, ‘piedra’ (Trichomycoses)19
- Morgellons’ Disease (Controversial aetiology)20
If you have suggestions to improve this page, please email Contribute@TheDemodexProject.org.uk.
Further reading /viewing:
- Pawelczyk O, Pajak C, Solarz K. The risk of exposure to parasitic mites and insects occurring on pets in Southern Poland. Annals of Parasitology. 2016;62(4) 337-344 ref 31. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org
- Dhooria, M.S. (2016). Medical and Veterinary Acarology. In: Fundamentals of Applied Acarology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org (access required)
- Bad bugs slideshow: identifying bugs and their bites
- Skin Deep: The Battle Over Morgellons (Documentary, available on Amazon Prime)
*Disclaimer: These links appeared safe at the time of posting and are copied as footnotes for you to inspect. Please always use your own judgement before visiting new sites. The information provided is a small sample of the information available. It is intended to increase awareness of the possibility of infestation by mites of many different types. Please discuss anything that concerns you with your clinician, senior colleague, microbiology lab or other specialist department. We accept no responsibility for any action taken as a result of reading this material.
©2025 Diana Senior-Fletcher for The Demodex Project 2025
Updated 20/01/26
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Mites ↩︎
- WebMD: Chigger Bites ↩︎
- Dhooria, M.S. (2016). Medical and Veterinary Acarology. In: Fundamentals of Applied Acarology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1594-6_23 (access required) ↩︎
- Webmd: Chigger Bites: Should I Worry? And How Should I Treat Them? ↩︎
- https://robdunnlab.com/projects/meet-your-mites ↩︎
- https://www.frontiersin.org ↩︎
- ScienceDirect: Pyemotes Mites ↩︎
- Cheyletiella Mites in Humans ↩︎
- DermNetNZ: Bird Mite Infestation ↩︎
- https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/dust-mites ↩︎
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/ear-mites-in-humans ↩︎
- Liverpool Vet: Chorioptic Mites PDF ↩︎
- Chakrabarti, A. (1986), Human Notoedric Scabies From Contact With Cats Infested With Notoedres cati. International Journal of Dermatology, 25: 646-648. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-4362.1986.tb04527.x (not open access) ↩︎
- https://www.bad.org.uk/pils/scabies ↩︎
- Sunderkötter et al. Scabies: Epidemiology & Treatment. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2021;118(41):695‑704.
PMC8743988 ↩︎ - Elston DM. What’s eating you? Psoroptes mites. Cutis. 2006 May 1;77(5):283-4. Psoroptes mites (Elston, 2006; Cutis PDF). ↩︎
- Tonozzi CC Mission Veterinary Partnes updated 2024, accessed 28/12/25
- Akhoundi et al. Bed Bugs: Classification & Dispersion. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(12):4576. PMC7345932 ↩︎
- Sentamilselvi G, Janaki C, Murugusundram S. Trichomycoses. Int J Trichology. 2009;1(2):100‑7. PMC2938571 ↩︎
- Middelveen et al. History of Morgellons disease. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol.
2018; PMC5811176 ↩︎
