Dust Mites

Enlarge cover

By: Matthew J Colloff

eBook - June 2009 - eRetailers

A landmark reference work for those with an involvement or interest in house dust mite research.

Dust mites are present in almost every home – in our beds, clothing and carpets. Conservatively, at least 100 million people are affected by house dust mite allergy worldwide, manifesting itself as asthma, rhinitis or atopic dermatitis. Despite the growing recognition of this major public health problem, there is still no simple, effective, generally applicable strategy for dust mite control. + Full description

Dust Mites incorporates for the first time in a single volume the topics of systematics and identification, physiology, ecology, allergen biochemistry and molecular biology, epidemiology, mite control and allergen avoidance. It explains key biological and ecological concepts for non-specialist readers, discusses ecological research methods and includes identification keys to dust mite species and life-cycle stage. It also explores how characteristics of population growth, water balance and physiology of dust mites have contributed to their importance as allergenic organisms.

Many chapters contain new data, or new analyses of existing data, including global distribution maps of the most important species. Importantly, the book emphasises that studies of the biology and ecology of house dust mites should be regarded within the context of allergic disease rather than as ends in themselves, and that approaches to mite control in clinical management are subject to the same series of ecological rules as any other major problem in pest management.

This comprehensive reference is essential reading for anyone involved or interested in house dust mite research and management.

- Short description

News

No longer available in a print edition.

"This book is beautifully written and also accessible to the lay reader. Dr Colloff is to be congratulated on his achievement in making such a vast body of knowledge so readily available."
Ian Thompson, Tarsus, Sep 2009

Reviews

"Wow! This new volume on dust mites is amazing. You may wonder how this book on dust mites can contain 583 pages, but it contains EVERYTHING you might want to know about dust mites and, perhaps, more. Until this volume was published the literature on dust mites was scattered. Now it is possible to access what is known about dust mites in one volume, which will serve as the benchmark for future studies."
Marjorie A Hoy, Florida Entomologist 93(3), September 2010

"This is an important book; it is not just a review of the literature, but an impressive, authoritative, description of the state of the art of research into dust mites. Even though it is a serious book, which does not compromise on scientific rigour, it is well written in a style that is both very readable and clear. The overall impression on reading this book is the amazing amount of detail, depth and thoroughness. It works as a reference book, but it is a joy to start from the beginning and read it through."
P Biddulph, Experimental and Applied Acarology, Published online 19 October 2010

"Overall this is a most impressive book – in fact the scope is breathtaking. The style of writing and presentation take it out of the realms of mere text book and truly make it accessible to all those diverse users it is aimed at. This is a wonderful showcase of what can be achieved by combining the facets from sometimes disparate avenues of research, and why the resulting whole is so much greater than the separate strands."
Helen Smith, Society for Insect Studies, December 2010

"This is a fascinating and comprehensive book of reference...a glorious ovewiew of the biology and ecology of these creatures, with some fascinating information and insights that jobbing allergists will enjoy delving into time and time again."
C J Corrigan, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, Vol 40, 2010

"Overall, this book is well organized, written and illustrated, with very useful up-to-date references and appendixes, including taxonomic catalogues and surveys of global dust mite distribution. Each chapter is clearly written in a way that it is appealing and useful for readers of diverse backgrounds. Dust Mites is a highly recommended authoritative resource book for anyone with clinical and/or research interests related to dust mites."
Jonathan A. Bernstein, Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, April 2010

"The author not only brings together what seems to be everything ever published on dust mites, but also presents new analyses of these data, is unafraid to give his opinion on controversial matters such as the non-allergic disorders, and provides comprehensive and reasoned answers to questions in the field. This handsome book is a well-written, comprehensive text and essential reference on one of the most important areas of mite research."
Owen Seeman, Australian Journal of Entomology, Vol 49, 2010

"…this book is indeed significant, of interest well beyond the acarologist or medical entomologist specialist readership the title might imply, and includes all that one might wish to discover about dust mites. It is encylopedic in scope but far from a ‘dry text’, and is engagingly written. Each of the main chapters contains considerable background for non-specialist readers-so that, for example, the initial chapter on taxonomy is one of the clearest expositions of the discipline I have ever encountered.

The book is very well-illustrated and produced, and is sure to be regarded as the classic in its field."
T.R New, Journal of Insect Conservation, 2009

"Dust Mites by Matthew J Colloff is a key reference work that provides a unique insight into the biology of dust mites. The book is very well illustrated, truly comprehensive, and has an extensive bibliography. The identification keys are also very comprehensive and will be of great value to mite taxonomists. This book is beautifully written and also accessible to the lay reader. Dr. Colloff is to be congratulated on his achievement in making such a vast body of knowledge so readily available."
Ian Thompson, Tarsus No.588, September 2009

Details

ePDF | June 2009
ISBN: 9780643100497
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

ePUB | June 2009
ISBN: 9780643102507
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

Features

Comprehensive coverage of the biology and ecology of dust mites
Many chapters contain new data, or new analyses of existing data (including global distribution maps of the most important species)
No similar book exists
Explains key biological and ecological concepts for non-specialist readers
Explores how characteristics of population growth, water balance and physiology of dust mites have contributed to their importance as allergenic organisms
Includes chapters on ecological research methods and identification keys to dust mite species and life-cycle stage

Authors

Matthew Colloff is a senior research scientist with CSIRO Entomology based in Canberra, Australia. He has studied the biology and ecology of dust mites for the last 25 years, focussing on factors affecting their global distribution and abundance, as well as methods for dust mite control. When not working on dust mites, he researches the ecology and management of Australian native vegetation communities.