A recurrent mite infestation affecting a room used to inspect fabric in a UK textile mill was investigated to allay concerns of any potential health risks to factory staff, and to inform the unknown risk of downgrading of the product. The approach integrated conventional morphological examination of adult female mites by referring to published identification keys, with molecular speciation based on amplification of a 16S ribosomal DNA fragment. The methods enabled the mites to be unambiguously identified as Dermanyssus gallinae ‘special lineage L1’. Subsequent investigations showed the source of infestation to be pigeons nesting in the air ducts, with the gamasid mites moving into the room once the young birds had fledged. This is the first report of D. gallinae ‘special lineage L1’ in northern Europe. Previous reports of nosocominal gamasoidosis caused by D. gallinae ‘special lineage L1’ originating from feral pigeon populations have been from southern Europe. Confirmation of the mite identity was important in allowing the mill to take remedial and preventive action. In this clinical communication, we provide images of the key morphological features used to identify D. gallinae and describe a molecular protocol to confirm ‘special lineage L1’.

调查了影响英国一家纺织厂用来检查织物的房间的螨虫反复发作，以减轻对工厂员工任何潜在健康风险的担忧，并告知产品降级的未知风险。该方法通过参考公开的识别码，结合了成年雌性螨的常规形态学检查，以及基于16S核糖体DNA片段扩增的分子形态学。这些方法可以将螨虫明确地鉴定为德氏金枪鱼“特殊血统L1”。随后的调查显示，这种侵害的根源是鸽子在通风管中筑巢，一旦幼鸽出雏，高加索螨就进入室内。这是D. gallinae的首次报道北欧的“特殊血统L1”。以前有报道称，源自野鸽种群的鸡D. gallinae '特殊血统L1'引起的医院内类马鞭毛虫病来自欧洲南部。螨虫身份的确认对于允许工厂采取补救和预防措施非常重要。在本次临床交流中，我们提供了用于鉴定D. gallinae的关键形态特征的图像，并描述了一种确认“特殊谱系L1”的分子方案。