Can anyone identify this mite?

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Jacquin Mitchell — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 08:14:15 GMT

I thought I'd come back to this and update in case anyone was interested.
Once the cage was cleaned out and removed from the room and the area was hoovered and treated with Staykill, the bites decreased in frequency until 2 weeks later, when we treated again, we had no further problems.
The existing bites took a while to disappear but a month later were no longer an issue.
We now have another hamster living in the same cage and haven't been bitten again.

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Bob Russell — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 09:38:44 GMT

I suspect this is likely to behave in a similar way to Cheyletiella. More a hypersensitivity reaction. I bet the kids lie on the floor to play the Xbox!

I would happily treat the area with a premise spray. Most surface living mites seem sensitive to permethrin family insecticides!

A case report would qualify as CPD. CPD=learning!!!

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Jacquin Mitchell — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 22:07:10 GMT

Hmm, I wonder if it can be counted as CPD?

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:45:19 GMT

Vet Times would take it. UK Vet another option - you have pictures!

There is some link with this forum and the Veterinary Practice monthly jobby. They will take anything - they took one of mine once.... Arlo Guthrie may have a contact?

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Jacquin Mitchell — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:39:37 GMT

Thank you for that. It seems you have to be a subscriber. :(

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Niall Taylor — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:34:34 GMT

[quote user="Jacquin Mitchell"]Ha ha, re a case report. I have no idea how I'd write up such a thing![/quote]

Don't worry, your secret's safe with us

Seriously, it would be really interesting.

Niall

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:29:02 GMT

[quote user="Jacquin Mitchell"]Ha ha, re a case report. I have no idea how I'd write up such a thing![/quote]

http://vetrecordcasereports.bmj.com/site/about/guidelines.xhtml

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Jacquin Mitchell — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:26:59 GMT

Ha ha, re a case report. I have no idea how I'd write up such a thing!
But from what I can tell the mites bite humans by mistake but can't live off our blood. A bit like fleas?

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:25:38 GMT

[quote user="Jacquin Mitchell"]I'll be honest here and own up to the fact that the household involved was our own, [/quote]

I trust it wasn't just me who had figured that out from the OP.....

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Niall Taylor — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:12:12 GMT

[quote user="Jacquin Mitchell"]I'll be honest here and own up to the fact that the household involved was our own[/quote]

Oops, bad luck - this would make an excellent subject for a letter or even a short case report in the Vet Record.

[quote user="Jacquin Mitchell"]I assume that any mites left in the environment will die off eventually as there is no host for them to live on[/quote]

Well, how host specific are they - they seem to have been feasting quite happily from at least a couple of different hosts already from what you've described so far.

Niall

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Jacquin Mitchell — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 19:16:58 GMT

I'll be honest here and own up to the fact that the household involved was our own, the hamster was ours and was only about 18 months old with no obvious signs of illness or skin lesions. He was handled 1-2x weekly but being nocturnal, they are often quite sleepy when brought out for a cuddle.
The picture above is of my 9 year old daughter, my 7 yo son was similarly affected and the rest of us were not as badly bitten. The lesions are very pruritic!
I assuming the reason they were so badly affected is that the hamster cage was kept near the Xbox, which the two younger kids have spent a lot of time on over the last couple of days.
We had a pest control guy in today who knew nothing and wanted us to treat as if for Bed bugs, so we are going with Environmental sprays, and hoovering the affected area as required.
I assume that any mites left in the environment will die off eventually as there is no host for them to live on.

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Joyce Whitehead — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 19:00:10 GMT

Very interesting thread - do you know if the hamster had any clinical signs of mite infestation Jacquin? Presumably treatment of the hamster would be topical avermectin?

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Jacquin Mitchell — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 18:33:31 GMT

We now have reason to believe this is indeed a tropical rat mite that came from an elderly hamster in the front room of the affected house. The hamster eventually died and hundreds of these mites were spotted in and around his cage.
This source of human skin lesions should be considered in a house with ill hamsters. This is the type of rash involved.

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 21:44:21 GMT

It's not Cheyletiella spp or Dermanyssus gallinae

I'd suspect one of the rat or mouse ones, Liponyssoides or Laelaps

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

John Flynn — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 19:50:19 GMT

2nd amatuer vote for rodent/bird mite such as:

Liponyssoides saguineus

Laelaps echidnina

Ornithonyssus bacoti

Ornithonyssus sylviarum

Dermanyssus gallinae

Cheyletiella

See for instance: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef637.asp or http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcmites.htm

I'd do some environmental treatment in the home as well as the pets in house and check no vermin issues.

RE: Can anyone identify this mite?

Sammy82 — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 19:31:25 GMT

Could it be the "tropical rat mite"? http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kFf-swysLp4/maxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DkFf-swysLp4&h=720&w=1280&tbnid=1wRPZXYwttFZgM:&docid=6hlM4qciC1sLgM&ei=BUvjVd_AOYLa7gbirqqgCg&tbm=isch&ved=0CEsQMyghMCFqFQoTCJ_Xjby30ccCFQKt2wodYpcKpA