Acarus siro also known as Flour mite, Grain mite, Cereal mite or Forage mite belongs to
- Phyllum: Arthropoda
- Subphyllum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachinada
- Sub class: Acari
- Order: Sarcoptiformes
- Superfamily: Acaroidea
- Family: Acaridae
- Genus: Acarus
- Species: siro
It is one of the many but important agricultural pest & environmental allergen earlier known as Tyroglyphus farinae.
This pearly white pest with 8 pinkish or yellowish legs measures about 0.5 mm in length.
A.siro is a perennial allergen with peak between May and August in some states.
Aca s 13 is the important allergenic protein the other being Aca s 2.
A.siro shows limited cross reactivity with Dermatophagoides species, but more with another storage mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae.
Symptoms: storage mites can cause symptoms of allergic rhinitis and asthma usually in agricultural workers, farmers, millers, bakers etc.
Oral mite syndrome occurs in atopic individuals shortly after eating foods made with mite contaminated wheat flour. Rarely it cause anaphylaxis resulting in death.
