The idea of eight-legged mites having sex on your face and nipples while you sleep may sound like a concept from the latest horror blockbuster.
But creatures are very real and are becoming so simple organisms that they may soon “become one with humans,” according to a new study.
Demodex folliculorum mites are carried by almost everyone on the face, eyelashes and nipples, moving between the follicles in search of a mate.
Researchers at the University of Reading have sequenced the mite’s genome for the first time and found that inbreeding caused them to secrete unnecessary genes and cells.
Worryingly, the team says mites are moving toward a transition from external parasites to “internal symbionts” that live in us.
The idea of eight-legged mites having sex on your face while you sleep may sound like a concept from the latest horror blockbuster. But creatures are very real and are becoming so simple organisms that they may soon “become one with humans,” according to a new study.
D. folliculorum mites are carried by almost everyone on the face, eyelashes and even nipples, moving between the follicles in search of a mate
What are facial mites?
Called ‘facial mites’, D. folliculorum are actually small arachnids that inhabit hair throughout the human body and consume skin cells and oils.
Mites exist in human ears, eyebrows and eyelashes, as well as in the hair that covers the nipples and genitals.
Demodex has probably lived with us for a long time; when the early humans came out of Africa and found their way around the globe, researchers say.
They found that mites from China were genetically different from mites from America. East Asian and European populations diverged more than 40,000 years ago, and so do their mites.
Mites are only 0.01 inches (0.3 mm) long and are transmitted during birth.
In their study, the researchers set out to explain their strange mating habits, body characteristics and evolutionary future by analyzing their DNA.
Dr Alejandra Perotti, who led the study, said: “We found that these mites have a different arrangement of genes on parts of the body than other similar species due to their adaptation to a protective life in the pores.
“These changes in their DNA have led to some unusual body characteristics and behaviors.”
Mites live in isolation, without exposure to external threats.
For this reason, mites secrete unnecessary genes and cells and survive on a minimal amount of protein, according to researchers.
Among the lost genes are those that provide UV protection and cause animals to wake up in daylight, which explains their nocturnal behavior.
And while mites have lost their ability to produce melatonin – a compound that makes invertebrates active at night – they can still nourish their evening mating sessions using melatonin secreted by human skin.
Mites also have strange mating habits due to their unique genetic arrangement.
Males have a penis that protrudes upwards, which means that they must position themselves below the female while both adhere to the human hair.
One of their genes has been reversed, giving them a prominent arrangement of appendages in the mouth to collect food.
It also helps them survive at a young age, according to researchers.
Previous studies have suggested that mites do not have an anus and that feces accumulate throughout their lives before being released when they die.
For this reason, mites have been blamed for several skin and eye diseases, including rosacea and blepharitis.
However, a new study confirms that they do have an anus, and mites are “unfairly accused” of these conditions.
Mites are only 0.01 inches (0.3 mm) long and are transmitted during birth. Pictured: walking mite under a microscope
Previous studies have suggested that mites do not have an anus and that their stools may be to blame for skin conditions. However, a new study confirms that they have an anus (shown by an arrow)
While new partners may add new genes to the offspring, the mites are not exposed to potential partners, but instead reproduce.
In general, researchers say this could lead to mites becoming symbionts, and warn that they may be on the verge of an “evolutionary dead end.”
Dr Hank Braig, co-author of the University of Bangor and the National University of San Juan, said: “Mites have been blamed for many things.
“Long-term contact with people may suggest that they, too, could have simple but important useful roles, such as keeping our facial pores unclogged.”
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