Demodex folliculorum , the scientific name of the tiny crawlers, has been the focus of research that has unlocked the genetic secrets of our secret roommate, and the results are promising: This little skin mite doesn't just have an anus (yes, that really matters!) , but even develops into a symbiotic living being, which may even bring us advantages.
Please WHAT lives on my skin?
Along with Demodex brevis, Demodex folliculorum is one of two species of mites that call our skin home. With their eight little legs, they are arachnids (like spiders), but they are more closely related to ticks. Demodex folliculorum lives mainly on our faces, where they nest in the pores, cling to the hairs, eat and have sex for 2 to 3 weeks.
Their main food is sebum, the oily substance that our body provides to protect and moisturize the skin. Although virtually everyone carries their own collection of mites with them, the creatures have been relatively unknown to us - until now, when European researchers published a study that says they have now completely sequenced the genome of D. folliculorum.
Surprise: you have an anus!
Until now, it was generally assumed that D. folliculorum do not have an anus: over the course of their short lives, everything they eat simply accumulates in their bodies, and when they are dead, they release a torrent of feces, which can cause too many mites to cause skin diseases responsible for. However, this is wrong!
Although there is a connection between the increased occurrence of D. folliculorum in rosacea and other skin diseases, the mites are not the actual cause, but rather either a consequence of the disease or one of many triggers, according to study author Alejandra Perotti, a researcher at the university of Reading in Great Britain.
To put it bluntly: they poop regularly, which is why there is no flood of feces when they die, which is then responsible for the reddening of the skin. Further research is now needed to find out exactly how various skin diseases arise and can be prevented or contained.
Genetic slackers who can only mate at night
Compared to other mite species, D. folliculorum has a very simple genome and survives with only a minimum of cells and proteins. For example, their pairs of legs are only powered by a single muscle cell.
In addition, over the long period of living with us, they have forgotten how to produce melatonin - they get it from us. They have also become sensitive to UV light... which is why they only crawl out of our pores at night to feed and mate.
There is also no genetic diversity in D. folliculorum, which is because they are passed on from mother to child, often through breastfeeding. They also don't have predators or host competition on our faces, so it can be assumed that they will have even fewer genes at some point.
This would lead to the animals no longer being independent parasites at some point, but becoming symbionts - a process that has already been observed in bacteria, but never in an animal. If so, we can already observe the process.
The mites are useful too!
So far, the crawlers have only been blamed for skin diseases, but according to the study, they also seem to do something good: They appear to help rid the skin of excess dead cells and other materials, at least when their populations are kept in check.
So you don't have to obsessively wash or scratch your face - that won't bother the little ones much. And they only really get going at night when you're sleeping.
You know: eat and fuck. On your face. But at least they're doing it quietly.
Article image: imago images/Kalcutta Credit: IMAGO / agefotostock
Source: Gizmodo
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