Translate this page into:
Demodex mite under microscopy
*Corresponding author: Madhumitha Palanisamy, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India. madhumithasriraam@gmail.com
-
Received: ,
Accepted: ,
How to cite this article: Palanisamy M, Wadhwa D. Demodex mite under microscopy. CosmoDerma 2023;3:110.
Demodex is an ecto-parasitic mite of pilo-sebaceous unit. The body is semi-transparent, made of two fused segments. Four pairs of short, segmented legs with claw-like appendices are present in the anterior segment (podosoma). The posterior segment (opisthosoma) is elongated and tubular. The mouth (gnathosoma) is pin like with segmented palps. The mite anchors itself to the hair follicle using body scales.[1] The prevalence of this mite in humans is 100%, but to diagnose demodicidosis, a density of at least 5 mites/cm2 is required in standardized skin surface biopsy (SSSB).[2] The mite demonstrated in [Figure 1 and Video 1] is from a patient of steroid rosacea whose SSSB had 6 mites/cm2.
- Demodex mite seen under high power (×40) microscopy.
Video 1:
Video 1:Alive motile Demodex anchored to hair seen in microscope under high power (×40).Declaration of patient consent
Patient’s consent not required as patient’s identity is not disclosed or compromised.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
Videos available on:
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
References
- The hair follicle mites Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis: Biology and medical importance. A review. Dermatologica. 1981;162:1-11.
- [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Density of Demodex folliculorum in rosacea: A case-control study using standardized skin-surface biopsy. Br J Dermatol. 1993;128:650-9.
- [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
