 |
|
|
SCIENTIFIC REVIEW: HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH MITE CONTAMINATION OF FOODS
Prepared by: Food Allergy Research & Resource Program
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
(Steve L. Taylor, Ph.D. and Susan L. Hefle, Ph.D. – co-Directors)
Various species of mites inhabit a wide variety of habitats around the world. Dust mites including Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (the European house dust mite) and D. farinae (the American house dust mite) are common and widespread in household environments. Dust mites can infest foods and stored grains on occasion, but foods are not a favored habitat of dust mites. Storage mites including Acarus siro, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, and various species of Lepidoglyphus, Blomia, Aleuroglyphus, Glycyphagus, and Suidasia infest stored foods including stored grains (Olsson and Van Hage-Hamsten, 2000).
Mites, including both dust mites and storage mites, are a well-known and extremely common cause of allergic reactions (Pope et al., 1993). However, those allergic reactions are associated primarily with the inhalation of the mites in either household or occupational environments. The handling of infested foods in occupational settings has also been associated on occasion with contact dermatitis and various storage mites have been identified as the causative agents of these cutaneous allergic reactions (Fisher, 1982). The respiratory allergens in mites are actually associated with the fecal pellets of the mites which are plentiful in mite-infested environments (Pope et al., 1993). The physical dimensions of the mite fecal pellets are similar to pollen grains allowing them to be inhaled and easily distributed throughout the respiratory tract (Pope et al., 1993). The levels of dust mites in homes of individuals with mite-induced asthma range from 100 – 1000 mites per gram of dust (Platts-Mills, 1998). Exposure to very small amounts (mg levels) of mite allergens through the respiratory route by sensitized individuals can be sufficient to provoke allergic reactions (Platts-Mills, 1998).
However, the role of mites in the provocation of allergic reactions to foods via the ingestion route is rather minor. Despite the comparatively high prevalence of consumers who are sensitized to dust mites (many fewer consumers are likely sensitized to storage mites), only a few reactions have been reported associated with the ingestion of mite-infested foods (Blanco et al., 1996; Erben et al., 1993; Guerra Bernd et al., 2001; Matsumoto et al., 1996a; Matsumoto et al., 1996b; Matsumoto et al., 2001; Sanchez-Borges et al., 1997; Sanchez-Borges et al., 2001). Ingestion of foods contaminated with low numbers of mites must be a frequent occurrence. But, such foods apparently do not provoke allergic reactions in mite-sensitive consumers. The reported reactions associated with the ingestion of mite-infested foods generally involved gross levels of mite exposure (>1,000 mites per gram of food). Only a few dozen cases of allergic reactions to mite-infested foods have been reported on a worldwide basis so this route of exposure to mites would be classified as a rare cause of allergic reactions. All of the individuals involved in these episodes had evidence of pre-existing mite allergy presumably from inhalation exposures. The foods involved in these cases were usually improperly stored at home after being opened allowing the mites to proliferate and reach the very high levels associated with ingestion reactions. Symptoms from these reports of mite allergies were widely variable and ranged from mild skin or gastrointestinal discomfort to life-threatening laryngeal obstruction and cyanosis. The most severe reactions were generally associated with ingestion of foods with particularly high levels of mite contamination (>5,000 mites per gram of food). The mites involved in these cases were D. farinae or T. putrescentiae.
The establishment of guidelines for the categorization of objectionable matter in foods as hazardous or non-hazardous as proposed for the upcoming Codex Committee on Food Hygiene is a laudable effort. However, in our opinion, mites in foods are not hazardous even for mite-allergic consumers unless very high levels of contamination (>5,000 mites per gram of food) are reached as a result of improper storage. Such situations are very unlikely to occur in commercial processing or storage operations and thus a regulation is not necessary. Although lower levels of mite contamination can be associated with occupational allergies in food processing and storage facilities, simple precautions including the use of dust masks can diminish worker exposure and prevent reactions.
References
Blanco C., Carrillo T., Castillo, R., et al. Anaphylaxis after ingestion of wheat flour contaminated with dust mites. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 1996; 97(Suppl): 721
Erben A., Rodriguez J., McCullough J., et al. Anaphylaxis after ingestion of beignets contaminated with Dermatophagoides farinae. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 1993; 92: 846-849.
Fisher A. A. Hand dermatitis – “a baker’s dozen”. Cutis 1982; 29:214-221.
Guerra Bernd L., Arruda L., and Barros Antunes, H. Oral anaphylaxis to mites. Allergy. 2001; 56: 83-84.
Matsumoto T., Miike T., and Ono T. Mite-related allergy and oral tolerance. Allergy. 1996; 51: 276-277.
Matsumoto T., Hisano T., Hamaguchi M., et al. Systemic anaphylaxis after eating storage-mite-contaminated food. Intl. Arch. Allergy Immunol. 1996; 109: 197-200.
Matsumoto, T., Goto Y., Miike T. Anaphylaxis to mite-contaminated flour. Allergy. 2001; 56: 247-265.
Olsson, S., Van Hage-Hamsten, M. Allergens from house dust and storage mites: similarities and differences, with emphasis on the storage mite Lepidoglyphus destructor. Clin. Exp. Allergy. 2000; 30: 912-919.
Platts-Mills T. A. E. Indoor allergens. In: Allergy – Principles and Practice, Vol. I, 5th ed., ed. E. Middleton Jr., C. E. Reed, E. F. Ellis, N. F. Adkinson Jr., J. W. Yunginger, and W. W. Busse, Mosby, St. Louis. 1998:393-403.
Pope A. M., Patterson R., Burge H. (eds.) Indoor Allergens – Assessing and Controlling Adverse Health Reactions, National Academy Press, Washington D.C. 1993.
Sanchez-Borges M., Capriles-Hulett, A., Fernandez-Caldas, E., et al. Mite-contaminated foods as a cause of anaphylaxis. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 1997; 99: 738-743.
Sanchez-Borges M., Capriles-Hulett A., Suarez-Chacon R., et al. Oral anaphylaxis from mite ingestion. Allergy Clin. Immunol. Intl. 2001; 13: 33-35.
[back to top]
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
3/16/2010
Science Forum
Washington, DC
more »
4/7/2010
Consumer Complaints Conference
Washington, DC
more »
4/7/2010
Foodborne Illness Litigation Conference
Washington, DC
more »
4/13/2010
Food Labeling Workshop: Complying with Regulatory Requirements for the Labeling of Packaged Foods
Washington, DC
more »
6/8/2010
Food Labeling Workshop: Complying with Regulatory Requirements for the Labeling of Packaged Foods
Minneapolis, MN
more »
View Complete Events Calendar »
|
|
|
