Tinnitus caused by tiny mites:—Suspected cases of erratic migration of Otodectes cynotis and a case of Aleuroglyphus ovatus infestation—

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We reported 5 patients complaining of intermittent tinnitus and 1 patient complaining of continual tinnitus caused by large numbers of tiny mites crawling on the eardrum. In each of the 5 patients complaining of intermittent tinnitus, parasitic mites, Otodectes cynotis, from their pet cat's external ear canal accidentally entered the patient's own external auditory canal. Each of the 4 patients slept together in the same bed with their cat and 1 patient lived in the same room with a cat. Tinnitus occurred due to mite activity on the eardrum. Since mites removed from pets are small, most otolaryngologists overlook or fail to find these mites on standard otoscopy. A 26-year-old Philippine male working in a poultry farm complained of continual tinnitus. We found many parasitic mites crawling on his right eardrum under the impacted cerumen. Those mites were identified as Aleuroglyphus ovatus mites, which breed in assorted types of chicken feed. This is the first case report of A. ovatus infestation in the human external auditory canal. In all 6 cases, the patients underwent repeated washing of the external auditory canal with saline. We were able to record the findings in these cases on video. We emphasize that very careful observation of the eardrum by video and medical interview that includes questions about living with pets and occupation are very helpful to the diagnosis of tinnitus.
日本衛生動物学会の論文