Table of Contents

Whole Allergen

d73 Glycyphagus domesticus

d73 Glycyphagus domesticus Scientific Information

Type:

Whole Allergen

Display Name:

Glycyphagus domesticus

Allergen code:

d73

Family:

Glycyphagidae

Species:

Glycyphagus domesticus

Route of Exposure:

Inhalation (2)

Latin Name:

Glycyphagus domesticus

Other Names:

House mite (1)

Summary

Glycyphagus domesticus is one of the Glycyphagidae family of storage mites, known commonly as the ‘house’ mite. Traditionally associated with occupational exposure in rural workers, storage mites have been more recently linked with non-occupational sensitization in urban environments, causing rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma. G. domesticus is a common species of mite contaminating food and is found in stored food dwellings with higher relative humidity and temperature. Importantly, G. domesticus is also found in house dust, such as mattress dust, where house dust mites (HDM) are characteristically found. Allergenic cross-reactivity between storage mites and HDMs is well documented.

Allergen

Nature

Storage mites are a well-documented source of IgE-mediated allergy in rural populations (3). G. domesticus was the second most frequent storage mite species (after Acarus siro) found in farm buildings in South Poland, with a relative frequency of 66.7% (2).

However, exposure is not limited to the occupational setting (3). In the domestic dwelling, the storage mites (Acarus siro, G. domesticus, Lepidoglyphus destructor) were found in higher concentrations than dust mites in the homes of patients with allergies (4).

Taxonomy

*Taxonomic tree of Glycyphagus domesticus* (1)**
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Metazoa
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Chelicerata
Class	Arachnida
Subclass	Acari
Order	Astigmata
Family	Glycyphagidae
Genus	Glycyphagus

Tissue

Mite feces are the most relevant source of allergens (5).

Epidemiology

Worldwide distribution

In regions where G. domesticus is endemic, such as Northern Spain, a high prevalence of sensitization exists; in a study of 138 patients with rhinoconjunctivitis and/or asthma, 89.5% were sensitized to G. domesticus. Furthermore, a significant correlation (p<0.05) was found between sensitization of the four mite species studied (D. pteronyssinus, G. domesticus, T. putrescentiae and L. destructor) (6).

IgE-mediated allergy in agricultural workers is of considerable importance. In a study of farmers on the Swedish island of Gotland, the prevalence of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity symptoms to one of four storage mite species (Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae and G. domesticus) was 37.8% (7).

Risk factors

Sensitization to storage mites is an occupational hazard for farm workers and bakers (2). However, approximately 25% of patients sensitized to storage mites have no relationship with farms or bakeries (8).

Environmental Characteristics

Living environment

G. domesticus is a common species of mite contaminating food and is found in stored food dwellings with higher relative humidity and temperature (4), such as agricultural storage facilities (2) and domestic premises, feeding on flour, wheat, cheese and ham (9).

Of 571 UK shop-bought cereal-based food products, 21% were contaminated with storage mites. After home storage for 6 weeks, 38% of 421 food samples contained storage mites (8).

G. domesticus is also found in the home, in house dust, such as mattress dust (6).

Route of Exposure

Main

Inhalation (2).

Clinical Relevance

Mites are the sources of potent allergens that sensitize and induce IgE-mediated allergic reactions (10). Sensitization to G. domesticus causes rhinoconjunctivitis and/or asthma (6).

In a prospective study of 200 patients assessed for rhinitis and/or asthma in an outpatient setting, 123 (61.5%) had sensitization to at least one storage mite; 48.8% of patients were sensitized to G. domesticus (11). Patients with storage mite sensitization had the following disease characteristics: rhinitis (96.7%), asthma (46.3%), rhinitis and asthma (43.1%), conjunctivitis (25.2%) and atopic dermatitis (9.8%) (11).

Molecular Aspects

Allergenic molecules

Allergens in storage mites include fatty acid-binding proteins, tropomyosin and paramyosin homologues, apoliphorine-like proteins, alfa tubulines and other allergens, such as group 2, 5 and 7 allergens (12). A number of G. domesticus allergens have been identified; a highly similar homolog to Lep d 2, named Gly d 2, was cloned and expressed in recombinant form. The recombinant Gly d 2 was recognized by antibodies in serum of patients sensitized to mites (12). Other allergens have been identified and putative functions assigned (see table below).

Table adapted from Allergome.org (13)

Allergen	Type	Mass (kDa)
Gly d 2	NPC2 family	13.7
Gly d 3	Serine protease	27
Gly d 5	Unknown	29
Gly d 7	Unknown	24
Gly d 8	Glutathione S-transferase	24.7
Gly d 10	Tropomyosin	32.8
Gly d 13	Fatty acid binding protein	15
Gly d 20	Arginine kinase	40

Cross-reactivity

Glycyphagus species and Lepidoglyphus species have high cross reactivity (11). Group 2 allergens from Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae and G. domesticus demonstrate extensive cross-reactivity (14).

Compiled By

Author: RubyDuke Communications

Reviewer: Dr. Christian Fischer

Last reviewed:May 2022

References

CABI. Glycyphagus domesticus (house, mite, common) Wallingford, UK2021 [January 2022]. Available from: https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/25425.
Solarz K, Pająk C. Risk of exposure of a selected rural population in South Poland to allergenic mites. Part II: acarofauna of farm buildings. Experimental and Applied Acarology. 2019;77(3):387-99.
van Hage-Hamsten M, Johansson E. Clinical and immunologic aspects of storage mite allergy. Allergy. 1998;53(s48):49-53.
Reboux G, Valot B, Rocchi S, Scherer E, Roussel S, Millon L. Storage mite concentrations are underestimated compared to house dust mite concentrations. Exp Appl Acarol. 2019;77(4):511-25.
Erban T, Rybanska D, Harant K, Hortova B, Hubert J. Feces Derived Allergens of Tyrophagus putrescentiae Reared on Dried Dog Food and Evidence of the Strong Nutritional Interaction between the Mite and Bacillus cereus Producing Protease Bacillolysins and Exo-chitinases. Frontiers in Physiology. 2016;7.
López-Conde I, Carballas C, Carballada F, Iraola V, Fernández-Caldas E, Boquete M. Cutaneous sensitivity to <em>Chortoglyphus arcuatus</em> and <em>Glycyphagus domesticus</em> in Spain. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2005;115(2):S163.
van Hage-Hamsten M, Johansson SG, Höglund S, Tüll P, Wirén A, Zetterstrom O. Storage mite allergy is common in a farming population. Clin Allergy. 1985;15(6):555-64.
Jõgi NO, Kleppe Olsen R, Svanes C, Gislason D, Gislason T, Schlünssen V, et al. Prevalence of allergic sensitization to storage mites in Northern Europe. Clin Exp Allergy. 2020;50(3):372-82.
Bell CH. 4 - Insect and mite penetration and contamination of packaged foods. In: Kilcast D, Subramaniam P, editors. Food and Beverage Stability and Shelf Life: Woodhead Publishing; 2011. p. 106-31.
van Hage-Hamsten M, Johansson SGO. Storage mites. Experimental & Applied Acarology. 1992;16(1):117-28.
Marques ML, Rezende I, Cunha I, Gouveia J, Rodrigues Dos Santos F, Falcão I, et al. Allergic sensitization to storage dust mites: a prospective study of patients with respiratory allergy. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol. 2020.
Fernández-Caldas E, Iraola V, Carnés J. Molecular and biochemical properties of storage mites (except Blomia species). Protein Pept Lett. 2007;14(10):954-9.
Allergome. GLYCYPHAGUS DOMESTICUS 2021 [cited 2022 04.01.22]. Available from: https://www.allergome.org/script/search_step2.php.
Gafvelin G, Johansson E, Lundin A, Smith AM, Chapman MD, Benjamin DC, et al. Cross-reactivity studies of a new group 2 allergen from the dust mite Glycyphagus domesticus, Gly d 2, and group 2 allergens from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Lepidoglyphus destructor, and Tyrophagus putrescentiae with recombinant allergens. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2001;107(3):511-8