They are also raised for consumption. Although the cost of production is high and the birds grow slowly, itis felt that the enterprise can still be profitable since the market is so specialized. Case 9-4 . Knemidocoptes mutans mites in burrows within a thickened, anuclear keratin layer. Dermatitis, lymphohistiocytic, superficial and perivascular, chronic, diffuse, moderate, with epithelial hyperplasia, severe orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis, and intracorneal arthropods, Chinese silky chicken, avian.
Birds are host to diverse mites.
Philips1 classifies many of these by their preferred habitats, which include feathers, quills, skin, subcutaneous tissue, and the respiratory tract. Food sources available to mites include blood, tissue fluid, skin and feather lipids, keratin, fungi, algae, and other mites. Many avian mites are not pathogenic. Others are often secondary problems associated with stress or dietary deficiency. Knemidocoptid mites invade feather follicles and the stratum corneum, primarily affecting the face, feet, and cere.