Sneezing every time you fork hay, fill the feed bin or open a sack of flour? Storage mites are close relatives of house dust mites that live in grain, flour, hay and stored food. Our test checks your blood for IgE sensitisation to five storage mite species as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, right next to house dust mite, so you can see which mites show up.
Storage mites are tiny mites, too small to see, that feed on grain, flour, mould and dried food. Where house dust mites live in beds, storage mites live in stores: hay bales, grain silos, feed bins and flour sacks. They thrive where it is damp.
The species that matter most in Europe are Lepidoglyphus destructor and Glycyphagus domesticus in barns and hay, Acarus siro (the flour mite) in grain and flour, and Tyrophagus putrescentiae, the mould mite found on cheese, ham and mouldy food. Blomia tropicalis is a storage mite that is a major indoor allergen in tropical and subtropical regions.
Farmers, bakers, millers, grain workers and people who keep horses meet storage mites most. Sensitisation is a well-known occupational finding in these jobs. Pet owners who store hay or feed at home meet them too, and so do people in damp houses, where storage mites turn up in ordinary house dust.
Typical reports look like dust mite allergy, but tied to a place or task: sneezing, a blocked nose and itchy eyes in the barn or bakery, and sometimes cough or wheeze. People with asthma may notice their chest is worse at work.
Storage mites and house dust mites are related, and some of their proteins look alike. In one study, almost half of people sensitised to house dust mite also had IgE to storage mites. Much of that overlap was cross-reactivity, but it can still matter for people who are exposed to storage mites.
Single proteins help separate the two. Lep d 2, Gly d 2, Tyr p 2 and Blo t 2 are storage-mite versions of the dust mite protein Der p 2. Tyr p 10 and Blo t 10 are tropomyosins, a muscle protein shared with house dust mite and shellfish. Blo t 5 and Blo t 21 are the main Blomia allergens.
Rarely, eating food made with mite-infested flour has caused severe reactions, mostly reported in warm, humid regions. Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or feeling faint after eating is an emergency. Call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number. Do not wait for a test.
From your finger-prick sample, the lab measures IgE to storage mite extracts and single proteins as part of 300 allergens and allergen components. House dust mite, grass pollen, moulds and wheat sit on the same panel, which helps when the barn or bakery brings several suspects at once.
A positive result shows sensitisation, not a confirmed allergy. Each value gets a class from Negative to Very high. If symptoms follow your job, a doctor or occupational health service can help you read the pattern.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
Both are tiny mites, but they live in different places. House dust mites live in beds and soft furnishings. Storage mites live in hay, grain, flour and stored food. They are related, so some people show IgE to both. The panel tests them separately.
Flour proteins are the classic trigger, but flour can also carry storage mites. Our panel tests wheat and other cereals alongside storage mites, so you can see which ones your blood reacts to. A doctor or occupational health service reads that with your work history.
Yes. They can grow in old flour, cereals, dried fruit, pet food and cheese, especially in damp cupboards. Keeping dry food sealed and cool, and throwing out old stock, keeps them down.
Blomia tropicalis is a major mite allergen in warm, humid regions, so it is useful for anyone who has lived in or travelled to them.
