In addition, patients recorded their daily symptoms and peak flow measurements in a diary throughout the 12 month study. Managing and preventing allergies caused by dust mites require an understanding of their biology and the indoor microhabitat where they occur. The second phase of our research centers upon the dust mite s basic biology. Specifically, we are investing how dust mites survive periods of unfavorable conditions and communicate in a household microhabitat. Indoor relative humidity is an important factor in dust mite survival.
Dust mites obtain water by actively absorbing it from the ambient air.
This active process is shutdown when the relative humidity falls below 50 percent in the home. An indoor humidity below this level is common during the winter months in temperate climates due to the heating of homes. Clustering into a group restricts the loss of water and possibly allows for active absorption to occur at lower ambient relative humidity. In addition, sex specific clustering has been observed in laboratory cultures suggesting dust mites may be relying on chemical communication to find one another. We are now investigating the role semio-chemicals in clustering and other behavioral phenomenon.