Studies on the Acaric Dermatitis of Albino Mice in Japan

Abstract

Surveys on myobiasis and Myocoptiasis of albino mice were conducted during the spring-summer season of 1960. Various techniques for detecting parasitic mites were compared in their efficiency, such as follows: Scotch-tape methcd, TERAMURA's mice-hanging method, Scab-warming method and hair-warming method.
The efficiencies of the first and the second methods did not appear highly practical, since the mites, especially myobid mites, did not come off from dead host. On the contrary, the hair-warming technique was considered to be the most effective for the detection of myobid and listropholid mites.
Out of total 121 albino mice (dd strain), 77 mice were parasitized with Myobia musculi or Radfordia affinis. In another experimental animal farm, the mice showed a high parasitic incidence with listropholid mites, Myocoptes musculinus.
Most of the mice parasitized with myobid mites were suffering from a chronic dermatitis. Dermatitis was observed on head, neck and back. The myobid mites were found in the sites of the dermatitis.
In the case of myocoptic mange, the hair of the whole body surface became rough and the mites were detected in any part of skin lesion.
The parasitic incidence of mites onto mice was considered to be decreased in summer than in spring.
Pathological and microbiological tests have proved that no case of dermatitis is attributable to the infection caused by pathogenic microbes, although the following microbes were isolated: Micrococcus, gram positive or negative rod, Cephalosporium sp., Monosporium sp., Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus sp.