Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2013;41(6):402---406 www.elsevier.es/ai ORIGINAL ARTICLE Storage mite sensitisation is associated with early life village residence in Turkey E. Celebioglu * , A.B. Ozturk, S. Comert, G. Karakaya, A.F. Kalyoncu Hacettepe University, School of Medicine, Department of Chest Diseases, Adult Allergy Unit, Ankara, Turkey Received 28 April 2012; accepted 26 June 2012 Available online 6 November 2012 KEYWORDS Allergic asthma; Allergic sensitisation; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus; House-dust mite; Skin prick test; Storage mite; Village life Abstract Background: Storage mites (SMs) occur in house-dust and the rate of sensitisation to them is high. We aimed to investigate if past and current living conditions are associated with the risk of SM sensitisation. Methods: In total, 321 patients (70% females) aged 33.6 ± 11.9 years (range: 14---68 years) were studied at our allergy unit between September 2009 and December 2010. Patients with persis- tent or intermittent rhinitis and/or asthma were included in the study. Skin prick tests (SPTs) for SMs (Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, and Acarus siro) and other common aeroallergens were performed. Demographic data and characteristics of the patients’ homes were assessed via a questionnaire. Results: In all, 102 (31.8%) patients were sensitised to ≥1 SM, of whom 43.1% were also sensi- tised to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. Comparison between the SPT-negative group (n = 129) and the SM-positive only group (n = 33) showed that having lived in a village during the first years of life was associated with SM sensitisation. Current place of residence was not significantly associated with any of the study variables. Conclusions: Living conditions have been changing and SM sensitisation may be associated with a history of village residence. The high rate of SM sensitisation observed in the study population might indicate the necessity of including those mite species in SPT panels, but the clinical relevance of sensitisation remains unclear. The clinical importance of SM sensitisation in urban areas should be investigated further. © 2012 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: edamadoglu@yahoo.co.uk (E. Celebioglu). Introduction Allergy to storage mites (SMs) is reported to be high in farmers and in the general population. 1---3 Although SMs are generally thought to occur in occupational settings, they have also been isolated from house dust. 3,4 However, the 0301-0546/$ – see front matter © 2012 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aller.2012.06.005