Abstract: Three hundred and eight mattress dust samples were collected from college dormitories in Shenzhen with a mite prevalence of 88%（271/308）. From the samples， 6 163 mites were isolated and identified. Dermatophagoides farinae， D. pteronyssinus and Blomia tropicalis were three most abundant species, occupying 29.7%， 21.7% and 17.9%， respectively. It was found that sex of the students, mattress cover （bamboo mat or bed sheet）, with or without air conditioner installation, and daily using of air conditioner （<2 h, 2-8 h and >8 h） had no significant influence on the mite prevalence （P>0.05）. However, logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk of mite sensitization in male student dormitory was significantly lower than that in female dormitory （OR=0.55, P=0.038）, and the risk of using bed sheets was significantly higher than using bamboo mats （OR=2.13, P=0.040）. Both mite prevalence and the risk of mite sensitization significantly decreased with higher floor of the dormitory building.

Key words: Mite, Subtropical climate, College dormitory, Environmental factor, Shenzhen