Ticks and Mites 



35 



MITES 



The mites are closely related to the ticks, and al- 

 though none of them has yet been shown to be 

 responsible for the spread of any disease their 

 habits are such that it would be entirely possible 

 for some to transmit certain diseases from one 

 host to another, from animal to animal, from ani- 

 mal to man, or from man to man. A number of 

 these mites produce certain serious diseases among 

 various domestic animals and a few are responsi- 

 ble for certain diseases of men. 



Face-mites. Living in the sweat-glands at the 

 roots of hairs and in diseased follicles in the skin 

 of man and some domestic animals are curious 

 little parasites that look as much like worms as 

 mites (Fig. 19). Such diseased follicles become 

 filled with fatty matter, the upper end becomes 

 hard and black and in man are known as black- 

 heads. If one of these blackheads is forced out and 

 the fatty substance dissolved with ether the mites 

 may be found in all stages of development. The 

 young have six legs, the adult eight. The body is 

 elongated and transversely wrinkled. In man 

 they are usually found about the nose and chin 

 and neck where they do no particular harm except 

 to mar the appearance of the host and to indicate 



