El-Moamly Amal, El-Swify Omar
Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Round Road, Ismailia, 41522, Egypt.
Medical Services Department, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
Infection. 2025 May 3. doi: 10.1007/s15010-025-02521-z.
Demodex mites are among the most prevalent human parasites. While commonly found on healthy individuals, an overpopulation of this arachnid resident of human skin triggers demodicosis, a neglected yet widely prevalent disease with considerable skin and eye morbidity. Despite its health impact, demodicosis remains overshadowed by other common skin diseases. This neglect has significant consequences for individual and public health, which require a paradigm shift in our understanding and management of this ubiquitous ectoparasite. We reviewed the literature to re-evaluate the pathogenicity of the Demodex mite, paying particular attention to the primary risk factors-immune dysregulation, altered microbiota, and concurrent infections-that may contribute to pathogenicity. We discuss the challenges in combating neglect of demodicosis and provide updates on various impediments in achieving this goal. We explore the issues and research gaps in various domains such as those related to parasite biology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. We present potential solutions and outline future prospects for tackling this important disease. Finally, we hope to catalyze greater attention and investment for this neglected public health issue.
Raising awareness of Demodex and demodicosis and its major contribution to human diseases requires a multidisciplinary approach. Efforts to prioritize its place on the global health agenda, invest in research, improve diagnostic tools, and develop new treatment strategies will lead to improved public health outcomes and a higher quality of life for those affected.
蠕形螨是人类最常见的寄生虫之一。虽然在健康个体中普遍存在，但这种人类皮肤蛛形纲寄生生物的过度繁殖会引发蠕形螨病，这是一种被忽视但广泛流行的疾病，会导致相当严重的皮肤和眼部病变。尽管其对健康有影响，但蠕形螨病仍然被其他常见皮肤病所掩盖。这种忽视对个人和公共卫生都有重大影响，这需要我们在对这种普遍存在的体外寄生虫的认识和管理上进行范式转变。我们回顾了文献，以重新评估蠕形螨的致病性，特别关注可能导致致病性的主要风险因素——免疫失调、微生物群改变和并发感染。我们讨论了在对抗对蠕形螨病忽视方面面临的挑战，并提供了在实现这一目标过程中各种障碍的最新情况。我们探讨了在寄生虫生物学、发病机制、诊断、治疗、预防和控制等各个领域的问题和研究空白。我们提出了潜在的解决方案，并概述了应对这一重要疾病的未来前景。最后，我们希望能促使人们对这个被忽视的公共卫生问题给予更多关注和投入。
提高对蠕形螨和蠕形螨病及其对人类疾病主要贡献的认识需要采取多学科方法。努力将其在全球卫生议程中的地位列为优先事项、投资于研究、改进诊断工具并制定新的治疗策略，将改善公共卫生成果，并提高受影响人群的生活质量。
