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Abstract
We wanted to determine if a chemical substance was responsible for cluster formation by adults of the American house dust mite, Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes, which are significant agents of dust allergy in humans. Behavioral responses to an extract of aggregated mites were compared to 30 common mite attractants identified in cuticular lipids, excretory products and mammalian skin in a refined two-choice bioassay. None of the mite-derived chemicals, including the extract, displayed significant attraction activity. Rather, the most powerful attractants were lipids derived from mammalian skins, especially long-chain saturated fatty acids, their methyl esters and cholesterol. Mammalian skin lipids serve as food attractants for house dust mites. Although the present study does not indicate that these chemicals help in cluster formation, further studies are being conducted to examine blends of these chemicals to determine if an arrestant-aggregation role exists. Clustering is most likely due to the physical presence of an inanimate object or another mite's body without the involvement of arrestant-aggregation pheromones.