Man Suffers Dust Mite Infestation in Right Ear

Posted on October 4, 2012

It is unfortunately possible for dust mites to infest the human ear. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that a 70-year-old man was suffering from pruritus (itching) and a "sense of fullness" in his right ear. The examination found that there were mites and mite eggs in his right external auditory canal. Some of the mites were extracted and identified as Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, the common house dust mite, which feed on flakes of dead human skin. The good news is that the man was treated with eardrops and the mites are gone. He suffered no hearing loss or tinnitus from having the mites.

Here is the video of the exam (otoscopy) on the man's ear (which shows the mites) from LiveScience. Take a look:

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