Abstract

LI, Chaopin; ZHAN, Xiaodong; ZHAO, Jinhong  and  WEI, Guo. Gohieria fusca (Acari: Astigmata) found in the filter dusts of air conditioners in China. Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2015, vol.31, n.2, pp.808-812. ISSN 1699-5198.  https://dx.doi.org/10.3305/nh.2015.31.2.8188.

Objective: Gohieria fusca (Oudemans, 1902) is recognized to breed in wheat flour, rice, corn, feeds, wheat bran and herbal medicines as well as other stored products, and capable of having mild to moderate cross reactivity with allergens of house dust mites, an important source of indoor allergens associated with asthma and other allergic conditions. Air-conditioning systems are indispensable in public and civil buildings, and the screens of the air conditioners are the most places to accumulate dusts. In order to investigate whether Gohieria fusca can breed in the screens of air-conditioners equipped at either public spaces or civil dwellings in Wuhu city, Anhui province, China. Methods: We collected 430 dust samples from the filters of air-conditioning systems at the school cafeteria, marketplaces, hotels and civil buildings between June and September of 2013, and isolated Gohieria fusca from the previous samples. Results: The results suggested that Gohieria fusca was present in 98 of the 430 samples (22.79%), and the breeding rate was significant in the air-conditioning filters from different spaces (c²=18.294, P<0.05). A total of 783 carpets of Gohieria fusca were detected in the 510.5g samples, and the mean breeding density was 1.53 carpets/g. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that Gohieria fusca is prevalent in the screens of air-conditioners in Wuhu area, and its breeding status appears serious.

Keywords : Acaroid mites; Gohieria fusca; Air conditioner filter; Breeding surroundings; Allergy.

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