Life Cycle
The entire life cycle of D. folliculorum takes places in the time span of 18–24 days on its host. Females have a ventral vulva anus opening, and males have a well-developed penis located between the first and second legs. A female adult lays 20-24 eggs in a single hair follicle, as they grow they become tightly packed, and develop into larvae. During the day, they remain feeding within the follicle. Later at night, they emerge onto the surface of the mate and eggs are laid into the hair follicles. The larva is then washed by a sebaceous flow, produced by the host’s sebaceous glands, into the mouth of the hair follicle where the egg matures into an adult. It takes seven days for the larva to develop into an adult that is ready to reproduce sexually.
Read more about this topic: Demodex Folliculorum
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