I have been living with a mite problem for the last 15yrs. It started when I had two cats and I found that I started to itch whenever they were near me. I initially thought that I might have developed an allergy to them, so a friend decided to have them for a few weeks but I still continued to itch without them in the house. Over time the problem got worse as I found as soon as I walked into the house I would itch all over including in my hair. I get the sensation that something is moving across my skin, but there is nothing visible to see. It appears to be worse at night and when the house is warm. I clean the house regularly, bedding is washed every few days and the mattress vacuumed before new sheets are put on. Clothes are washed on a hot wash and then put away, but I find once they have not been worn for a long time, as soon as you put them on, you start to itch. I initially thought it might be fleas and then decided it must be some sort of mite that the cats have brought into the house from outside.

I had the entire house sprayed by a professional despite the fact he said he could see no evidence of fleas and a further treatment done a month later. I even used flea powders and flea and roach sprays myself, but it didn’t seem to help. I then decided to take drastic measures and put my house up for sale. I moved into my new house and within a day of my furniture being returned, as soon as you entered the new house, I started to itch all over again. When friends come to visit you could see them having the odd scratch to the head or body and it was very embarrassing for me to see them do this as I knew it was because of the problem in the house. I moved house again and this time replaced the bed and soft furnishings, but as soon as the rest of my stuff was moved into the house like clothes and household goods, the itching started again. There is never anything to see when the itching starts, very occasionally you get a bite type lump, but usually you just get red patches where you have scratched the skin. Sometimes when you scratch so much you break the skin, the itching seems to get worse as though something has then got out from under the skin.

I went to see my doctor about the itching and he referred me to a dermatologist consultant. I explained to him what I was experiencing and said I thought it was mites under the skin. He explained that humans only get scabbie mites and affecting examining me he said I had no evidence of the scabbie mite. He came to the conclusion that it must just be eczema and gave me some cream for it. The cream helps to get rid of the red patches caused with scratching the skin, but it does not stop the itching and why would eczema make you itch all over and make other who come into the house itch as well. I have tried using a fogger in the house, but that just seems to make the itching worse. Just out of interest I tried to use a solution on my skin that gets rid of scabbies, and although that seemed to stop the crawling sensation on my skin, it did not solve the problem and I still continued to itch.

Clothes that have been in a drawer or wardrobe for a long time still seem to make me itch as soon as I put them on, and any clothes that have been put away in a suitcase, as soon as the suitcase is opened you start to itch. It is as though by opening the suitcase it has released the microscopic mites into the air. In between one of my house moves I went to stay with a friend for a few weeks. While I stayed there I still continued to itch and also noticed the same problem that as soon as I entered the house I would start to itch in my hair and would itch in bed etc. When I eventually moved into my own house and went back to my friends to visit, I found I no longer itched when I went through the door or while in my friends house. It is as though wherever I go, the microscopic mites follow, like I am the host that they have attached themselves to. I have lived with this problem for a long time now and it causes me a great deal of anxiety. I just want to be able to have an itch free body and home and go about my day to day life without anymore itching. If would be very interested to hear from anyone who might have a solution to my problem that they have used, or anyone else in the UK who has come across this as I can’t be the only one in the UK experiencing this.

Have you ever seen any type of causative agent or is the only thing naked-eye visible the skin irritation?

Have you looked into fungal infections? You might have distracted your dermatologist by setting him after mites. That's only speculation on my part, of course.

A humid climate like that found in most of the British Isles would be a perfect environment for fungi.

Check out this link:

Fungal Infections of the Skin

It is definitely not a fungal infection as have been checked out for that already. It is a problem that affects others who come into the house too, they start itching in a short space of time, so it has to be caused by some sort of airborne microscopic mite. I have read a number of websites where others have complained of exactly the same thing, itching as soon as they walk into house etc

Firstly, I think it's crazy that you've had to endure this problem for 15 years. I have been living alone with this problem for two months and I'm on the verge of depression. I completely sympathise.
This morning I have had Rentokil in and not to my surprise they did not find anything. They have recommended a treatment for the floors and carpets called Ficam W. It is supposed to kill 99% of insecticides. This will cost me £158 pounds (a price negotiated through haggling, first quote was £210 before VAT) You say you had yours sprayed a month apart but I'm told that this needs to be done 7 days apart so to catch the newly hatched eggs before they have a chance to mate and lay more eggs. There is nothing that will kill eggs, not even the strongest pesticide so it is important to catch before they breed. I was told to remove all clothes from the house in clean plastic bags and to wash all things cotton on a 90 degree wash and all delicate things to be frozen for 8-10 hours for under minus 8 degrees before washing. It is best to do this at a launderette and to store clean clothes at a friend's or family's house (anywhere except for the home).
I have had a stray cat in the house regularly over the last year and only in the last two months have I experienced the biting and itching. On that note, it is important not to have children or pets in the house during this time. Anything like textile sofas should be steam cleaned. Get rid of wooden/wicker furniture. Put plastic mite covers on your mattress. You can wash anything like the television/bookcases etc in Milton (baby bottle sterilising fluid sold in most pharmacies)
The Rentokil surveyor has not come across anything like this before and thought it could have either come in with the cat or through the chimney with pigeons perching on top of the house but is difficult to tell when there is nothing to identify.
I don't know how much use it is but I rub Vicks Vapor Rub around the legs of the bed, sprinkle tea tree oil in the sheets and rub myself in Vicks too. I've had my first dose of Permethrin (even though it's obviously not scabies) and was bitten twice whilst I had it on. I am due to put it on again in a weeks' time.
Doctors have been completely useless; 1st visit: take antihistamines; 2nd visit, visit a vet: 3rd visit, take the treatment for scabies (permethrin). I am now getting in touch with Biological Sciences at the University of Leicester to see if they can help me identify the "mite" through a microscope.

Good on you for contacting the University, Hazzy. If you can catch some that should be the best place to get an I.D. What did the Rentokill people say you had?

Dave, a good trap might be one of the sticky trap pasteboards sold at hardware stores to catch mice. Put it wherever they seem to be worst and leave it out overnight. A good 30x magnifier should tell you if you catch anything.

Thanks Hazzyd for your posting. It sounds like you have the same or similar problem as me. I have never been able to identify the cause, hence why I had to endure it for all those years. I also had Rentokil, who like you found nothing, but they sprayed anyway. They advised against cleaning or washing floors for a few weeks after they were sprayed, so if any new eggs hatched, the original spray solution would still be effective. They told me they had not heard of anything like this before or anyone else suffering from it, but that was 15yrs ago. I think I had 3 treatments in all, but it didn't work. Mine definitely started after I got my cats and must have been brought into the house by them as they used to spend a lot of time outside during the day. Whenever I start to itch I try to look at the area of skin that is itching but nothing can be seen, but as I am quite hairy on my legs, I do get the feeling something is moving around. I am at the point now that I don't know what else to do and I am beginning to think it is a problem that is never going to go away. It gets me very depressed too at times and I hate the fact that I cannot have friends to stay, as I am too embarrassed about the fact they may itch too if they stay. One thing I did think of the other day was maybe getting a Ultra Violet Air Purifier machine with a Ti02 filter for the home as they thoroughly clean the air and the UV zaps any microscopic bugs that might be floating in the air, but think I will need to investigate that further before by one as it is about £130. I think your idea of contacting Biological Services at Leicester University is a very good idea. If they are able to identify the mite then they may be able to suggest a way of eradicating it all together. I would certainly be very interested to hear how you get on.

Dave, do you ever go walking in or near wooded areas? The most common mite not naked eye visible is the chigger mite:

Image Search Results

[QUOTE=Catsmine;2216726]Dave, do you ever go walking in or near wooded areas? The most common mite not naked eye visible is the chigger mite:

If it is chigger mites then how to get rid of them?

[QUOTE=findit;2224336]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Catsmine

Dave, do you ever go walking in or near wooded areas? The most common mite not naked eye visible is the chigger mite:

If it is chigger mites then how to get rid of them?

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Clean the underbrush out around your walkways. Chiggers climb bushes and stems to reach their hosts when the host brushes by the foliage.

Thanks Catsmine for your post. I do not go walking tin wooded areas, so don't think my problem is due to the chigger mite. Going back to when I had cats, they are the only hosts that could have brought that mite into the home, but if that was the case, I find it hard to believe that they would still be present after nearly 15yrs.

Thanks hazzyd for your post. I had the Ficam treatment by Rentokil all those years ago and it did no good :-( Have you had any luck with Biological Services at Leicester University? I was wondering about applying a heavy duty clear sitcky tape to the skin when itching to see if anything can be trapped on it so it can be sent away for investigation under a microscope. Let me know how you get on

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 3Dave3

Thanks Catsmine for your post. I do not go walking tin wooded areas, so don't think my problem is due to the chigger mite. Going back to when I had cats, they are the only hosts that could have brought that mite into the home, but if that was the case, I find it hard to believe that they would still be present after nearly 15yrs.

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Nor do I. Other mites could come in from nearby trees or even from birds nesting on your roof.

Here's a good starting point
Itch Mites Prevention and Control

I am going through this right now in Michigan, USA. It has made feel so anxious, I feel like I'm going crazy! I have never been through this kind of thing before. Because these things are not readily visible to the naked eye, No one (other than my spouse) is taking me seriously. Management has sent Pest Control 3 times to spray and all that results is an even more aggressive attack on my husband and I. We can feel them crawling and biting us. We both have marks on our bodies. There was a bird nest on the outside of our a/c up until 2 weeks ago, when management finally removed it. We live in a large apartment community. No one else has reported anything unusual. Also, we have been diagnosed as having bed bugs, but, none seen in 2 weeks despite the continued crawling and biting sensations. Finally, I have found three new bugs! On a cotton shirt hanging up in my closet was what I believe might have been a Carpet Beetle and under my fish tank I found some type of unidentified worm unlike any of the pics on the Internet. I also had to pick out a couple of tics from my husband! We are being overrun by only God knows how many different kinds of bugs! I am so tired of getting bit and not being able to sleep. So is my husband (it is beginning to seriously affect his job performance). Sometimes they get in my clothes and will bite me during the day, too, and then I have to rush home and shower and change. I had to change clothes several times in one day before I found a shirt and pants that didn't make me feel horrible. Cut out all tags. We have tried so many different approaches to get rid of them. I just ordered some Phantom spray. I will let the public know if this works. In the meantime, Pray! Oh and get some Diatomaceous Dust and sprinkle it along all the baseboards.

Cmsmit, have you tried trapping these irritants? I mentioned sticky boards earlie; other methods would include setting a bowl of warm water out overnight and looking closely at it before you disturb the surface or applying shipping tape(the wide clear kind) to an area of skin where you feel this irritation as one of the questioners suggested. In case you are not dealing with insects, a petri dish from the local college or University Biology Department can be placed out for 24 hours and the results analysed by the biologist.

If you can find out what you're dealing with we can offer more specific advice.