mite

views updated

mite (myt) n. a free-living or parasitic arthropod belonging to a group (Acarina) that also includes the ticks. Medically important mites include the many species causing dermatitis. house-dust m. a mite of the genus Dermatophagoides, the waste products of which produce an allergic response in susceptible people that is an important trigger for some forms of rhinitis and asthma.

More From encyclopedia.com