From:
Christopher
Date: 2001-08-14 06:31:00 UTC
Subject: Demodex, all you didn't want to know!
Apparently demodex likes hair follicles and sebacious glands and is
rather fond of human faces.. other common names are the "face mite"
and the "follicle mite." They are everywhere and not a big deal
normally. In an immunocompromised person or animal they can cause
problems. In dogs and cats they can cause bald itchy splotches called
demodectic mange. From what I read it is more common in puppies,
who's immune systems haven't learned to treat the demodex as an
invader yet and in adult animals it is symptomatic of a problem with
the immune system. As mites go, demodex isn't nearly as ugly as
most.. doesn't look the least bit like an arachnid to me. Here's a
picture.
http://veterinary.ankara.edu.tr/~vatansev/Arthropods/Arachnida/261.jpe
g
D. folliculorum - humans D. canis - dogs D. bovis- cattle D.caprae -
goats D.cati- felids D.cuniculi - rabbits D.ovis - sheep
D.phylloides-pigs D.caballi-horses D.criceti - hamsters each one is
highly specialized in who it likes to live on.
D.folliculorum is .1 to .4 mm long and a female can lay 20 to 24 eggs
in a human hair follicle. The mites are species specific so your
ferret didn't get it from you and you can't get it from him and you
don't have to worry about any other ferret who's immune system isn't
compromised getting it. Mitaban is the drug of choice and Ivermectin
is effective also for skin or ear infestations.
Are you guys itching yet? In school, when we would discuss what lives
on people I would always itch for three days. Some cruel person
pointed out that showering just encouraged them to breed, so I
couldn't even take a shower to feel better <evil grin>
Christopher
Christopher