Mite Borne Diseases in Sri Lanka: A Hidden Iceberg of Vector Borne Diseases

Aims: Mite infections in Sri Lanka are seldom reported or studied in animals and humans. The existing few studies are case studies reporting human infection of scabies and reporting rodents and avian mites. The epidemiology of mite infestations and mite-borne diseases in Sri Lanka are not well established due to the limited knowledge of mite species present, types of disease transmitted, distribution and the prevalence. Hence, this systematic review intends to summarize the current knowledge, which will be helpful to the researchers in understanding the disease burden of mites in humans and animals in Sri Lanka and to identify the knowledge gaps in the specific subject.

Study Design: Systematic Review.

Methodology: The current systematic review on mite infestation and mite-borne diseases in Sri Lanka was written following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was carried out in the following databases: PubMed, SciVerse Scopus, and Google Scholar for studies published before the 31st of July 2024 using the keywords; “mites”, “diseases” and “Sri Lanka”.

Results: The literature search identified the following number of articles in the respective databases: PubMed (12), SciVerse Scopus (400), and Google Scholar (450). Only 15 articles were eligible for this review, and they were categorized based on articles that reported mite-borne diseases and mites reported in animals. Four cross-sectional studies have reported the prevalence of scrub typhus, while two cross-sectional studies have been conducted on scabies and asthma. Six studies reported the burden of mite infestation in wild animals, among them three surveys have been conducted in rodents, two on bats and one on bird nests.

Conclusion: A very few research on mites and mite-borne diseases in Sri Lanka focus on diseases such as scrub typhus and scabies, and only a handful noting mite infestations on wild animals. Therefore, it is critical to identify these mites and the epidemiological role they play in our environment to understand the health implications of mites.