On Friday, 10 November 2023 was held collection, identification, and culture of House Dust Mites (HDM), especially from the Dermatophagoides genus in the Laboratory of the Department of Parasitology at FKKMK UGM. The activity was attended by students from the Medical Program, including IUP class (5 students), Regular class (3 students), and 1 student from the Master’s Program in Medicine. The event was conducted with Dr. Dra. Rr. Upiek Ngesti Wibawaning Astuti, B.Sc., DAP&E, M.Biomed as the instructor, along with Rizkiani Amalia, S.Si., M.Sc, and assisted by Mrs. Kuswati. This activity was aimed to introduce the collection of HDM, perform identification, purification, and continue with cultivation.
House Dust Mites are microscopic and can be found in almost every dusty area in homes, especially in regions with a tropical climate like Indonesia. They belong to the Phylum Arthropoda, Class Arachnida, Order Acarina. These mites are known to trigger allergies on the skin and respiratory tract. Ths activity focused on differentiating between Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides ferinae, both in males and females.
This activity, especially the cultivation and differentiation of species, is expected to support research related to HDM. This includes testing food preferences, environmental suitability, density, reproduction, allergen proteins, and much more. Furthermore, this activity provides students with skills and motivation to develop research-based knowledge with HDM.
