Lepidoglyphus destructor
Summary
Lepidoglyphus destructor is one of the Glycyphagidae family of storage mites, and is known commonly as the ‘sugar’ or ‘groceries’ mite. Traditionally associated with occupational exposure in rural workers, storage mites have more recently been linked with non-occupational sensitization in urban environments, causing rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma, as well as atopic dermatitis.
Storage mites are commonly found in stored food products, hay, straw, granaries and barns. Importantly, storage mites including L. destructor, are also found in the home, in mattresses, floors and carpets, where house dust mites (HDM) are characteristically found. Allergenic cross-reactivity between storage mites and HDMs is well documented.
Epidemiology
Risk factors
Sensitization to storage mites, including Lepidoglyphus destructor, is an occupational hazard for farm workers and bakers. However, approximately 25% of patients sensitized to storage mites have no relationship with farms or bakeries.
Route Of Exposure
Main
Inhalation.
Secondary
Contact.
Clinical Relevance
Mites are the sources of potent allergens that sensitize and induce IgE-mediated allergic reactions; in one random urban population, 6.3% of people demonstrated IgE-mediated allergy to L. destructor. Sensitization to storage mites causes rhinitis, asthma and conjunctivitis, as well as rhinitis and atopic dermatitis.
Among 200 patients assessed for rhinitis and/or asthma in an outpatient setting, 123 (61.5%) had sensitization to at least one storage mite. Patients with storage mite sensitization had the following disease characteristics: rhinitis (96.7%), asthma (46.3%), rhinitis and asthma (43.1%), conjunctivitis (25.2%) and atopic dermatitis (9.8%).
When compared with non-allergic participants without asthma, sensitization to L. destructor is associated with increased odds of having nasal allergies without asthma, and of having asthma with nasal allergies, but is not associated with having asthma without nasal allergies.
Cross-Reactivity
Allergenic cross-reactivity between storage mites and HDMs is well documented; in a European Community Respiratory Health Survey, 8% of people were found to be sensitized to HDMs and 10% to storage mites. Among those patients with storage mite sensitization, 44% were also sensitized to HDM.
Another study reported that 88.4% (n/N=274/310) of patients sensitive to house dust mites were also sensitive to storage mites; 73% (n/N=227/310) of patients were sensitized to all three species of storage mite studied (L. destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae and Acarus. siro).
References
- CABI. Lepidoglyphus destructor (groceries, mite) Wallingford, UK2021 [cited 2021 6.12.21]. Available from: https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/25424.
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- Gill NK, Dhaliwal AK. Seasonal Variation of Allergenic Acarofauna From the Homes of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthmatic Patients. J Med Entomol. 2018;55(2):262-8.
- Marques ML, Rezende I, Cunha I, Gouveia J, Rodrigues Dos Santos F, Falcão I, et al. Allergic sensitization to storage dust mites: a prospective study of patients with respiratory allergy. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol. 2020.
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- Gislason D, Gislason T. IgE-mediated allergy to Lepidoglyphus destructor in an urban population--an epidemiologic study. Allergy. 1999;54(8):878-83.
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- Allergome. Acarus siro 2021 [cited 2021 6.12.21]. Available from: http://www.allergome.org/script/search_step2.php.
- Vidal C, Chomón B, Pérez-Carral C, González-Quintela A. Sensitization to Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, and Acarus siro in patients allergic to house dust mites (Dermatophagoides spp.). J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1997;100(5):716-8.