Abstract
Two years after an earthquake in Central Italy an acarological study was undertaken in prefabricated houses located between 470–500 m a.s.1; brick houses were used as control. House dust samples were collected from mattresses, carpets and sofas using a vacuum cleaner. Mite specimens were identified. Data on indoor activities, house characteristics, heating systems, furniture, maintenance and on irritative symptoms in inhabitants were recorded from a questionnaire. The prefabricated homes were more infested than control houses: 69.6% of mites could be identified. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (59.3%) was the prevalent species followed by Dermatophagoides farinae (18.3%), Lepidoglyphus destructor (13.2%), Euroglyphus maynei (7.1%) and Cheyletus tenuipilis (2.1%). Mite density ranged between 0 and 700 mites/g of dust. Inhabitants of prefabricated homes referred mucosal irritative symptoms more often than people living in control houses.
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Mansi, A. et al. (2002). House-dust mite infestation in temporary prefabricated homes in Central Italy. In: Bernini, F., Nannelli, R., Nuzzaci, G., de Lillo, E. (eds) Acarid Phylogeny and Evolution: Adaptation in Mites and Ticks. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0611-7_43
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0611-7_43
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