Pathogenesis Associated With Hair Follicle Mites (Demodex Spp.) In Australian Aborigines

The study investigated the presence of Demodex folliculorum and D. brevis mites in the skin of Australian Aborigines, finding that D. folliculorum aggregated in hair follicles while D. brevis was typically solitary in sebaceous glands. Although D. brevis was associated with sebaceous gland degeneration and leukocyte invasion in one case, no overall correlation was found between these mites and skin condition. The incidence of Demodex was 66.6% in males and 80% in females, though the female sample size was small (5 individuals) and all were over 34 years old. Positive samples were collected from both mainland and island populations.