Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Microscopic in size, usually <1 mm.
Belonging to the class Arachnida, subclass Acari (ticks and mites), most mites are nonpathogenic to humans. However, Demodex and Chiggers are examples of mites that can cause extreme itching.
Demodex is a genus of tiny mites that live in or near hair follicles. Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis live in humans, both frequently referred to as eyelash mites, face mites, or skin mites. These hair follicle mites are a normal part of the human facial fauna.
Chiggers are the juvenile (larval) form of mites in the family Trombiculidae. Chiggers do not burrow into the skin, instead, they have feeding structures that are inserted into the skin. Chiggers can cause an intense hypersensitive reaction (itching).
Of the many types of mites, scabies is the most important.
13. CDC/ C Philip. Image# 15851. "This is an image that was donated to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), by Dr. Cornelius B. Philip of the U.S. Public Health Service, at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in 1965. It depicts an adult chigger poised on the head of a pin." PHIL public domain. Created 1965. https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=15851
