Judged by its name (if not by its looks), Dermatophagoides spp, aka the ordinary house dust mite, is something of a plubby homebody. It feeds on organic detritus, most notably flakes of shed human skin, and likes to hunker down in mattresses, sofas and carpets. Its gut contains digestive enzymes that make its feces potent inducers of allergic reactions. It is a common cause of asthma. An estimated 65 million people worldwide are affected by dust mites.

So it comes as something of a surprise that D. spp is an accomplished world traveler, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. That airplane seat is more cramped than you think. It may be occupied by thousands of mitey small fellow travelers.

The Michigan scientists conducted a new genetic study that found connections between house dust mite populations in the U.S. and South Asia. "House dust mites can easily travel on an airline passenger's clothes, skin, food and baggage," said Pavel Klimov, an evolutionary biologist. "Like humans, they use air travel to visit new places, where they establish new populations, expand their ranges and interact with other organisms through various means."

The researchers did find some lingering genetic differences between two major species of house dust mite, the American house dust mite (D. farinae) and the European house dust mite (D. pteronyssinus). These gene differences or mutations may someday help lead to new therapeutic anti-allergen drugs.

And that would be nothing to sneeze at.

Body of Knowledge

When you laugh, you expel short bursts of air that travel at speeds of up to 70 mph.

Get Me That, Stat!

Two-thirds of cosmetic surgery patients are repeat customers.

Number Cruncher

A tall Starbucks eggnog latte with nonfat milk and no whipped cream (340 grams) contains 350 calories, 135 from fat. It has 15 grams of total fat, or 23 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet, according to the Calorie Count database.

It also contains 105 milligrams of cholesterol (35 percent), 42 grams of total carbohydrates (14 percent) and 39 grams of sugar. On the other hand, it has no sodium.

Mania of the Week

Tomomania: irrational predilection for performing surgery.

Never Say Diet

The speed-eating record for jellied cranberry sauce is 13.23 pounds in eight minutes, held by Juliet Lee. (Can you imagine the size of the turkey that went with the sauce?)

Observation

"I went on a diet, swore off drinking and heavy eating, and in 14 days, I lost two weeks." — comedian Joe E. Lewis

Medical History

This week in 1992, The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations ruled that a hospital without a policy that prohibited smoking indoors would risk losing accreditation, placing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements in jeopardy. It was the first U.S. industrywide ban on smoking in the workplace.

Epitaphs

On the headstone of Marguerite Daniels' grave in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia: "She always said her feet were killing her but nobody believed her."

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.