Investigation of the mite fauna content of dust samples collected from pigand poultry farms - report of the first finding in Western Europe of the house dust mite Dermatophagoides evansi in dust from poultry houses.

Mites can be important sources of airborne allergens, especially on farms. Two dust samples from pig farms and three dust samples from poultry farms w ere investigated for mites. House-dust mites were present in the poultry-du st samples, but not in the pig-dust samples. Furthermore, storage mites and predatory mites also were found in the poultry-dust samples. Specifically, the house-dust mite Dermatophagoides evansi was found in the dust samples from two poultry farms. Subsequently, a dust sample was collected from five other poultry farms. Again, D. evansi was present in dust from these farms . This is the first time that D. evansi is reported in dust from poultry fa rms in Western Europe outside Norway. If D. evansi cross-reacts with other Dermatophagoides spp., then poultry farmers and their families, but also ot her professionals working in the poultry industry, such as veterinarians, m ay be exposed to house-dust mites with potential clinical consequences, bot h domestic and occupational.