Tarsonemid Mites in Danish House Dust

From a study of 98 typical Danish city apartments it was found that pyroglyphid and tarsonemid mites dominated the housedust acarofauna. Both groups of miles show a remarkable similarity in their occurrence and dependence on. the microclimate. Room air humidities above 7 g water/kg dry air involved the highest densities. Below this Unit only background contamination appeared. At least 14 distinct forms of tarsonemid mites were found, with Tarsonemiu floricolus Can. & Fanz., 1876 as the dominating species. As tarsonemid mites were found regularly rather than occasionally, it is suggested that these mites may be responsible for at least a part of the cases of housedust allergy thaE cannot be ascribed to the content of Dermatophagoides mites in the housedust.