Monday, November 24, 2014

Case of the Week 327

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers in the United States!  In appreciation for this day of celebration (which usually involves the sharing of delicious food with family and friends), I've decided to have a food-based case, which doesn't technically involve a parasite, but rather the relative of some human parasites.

The following is a French hard cheese that has been aged for 1 year.  It is known for its deep orange color and rough rind which both make it resemble a cantaloupe.
Close up of the rind:

By scraping the rind and placing the scrapings, along with a drop of saline, on a glass slide, you see the following:

Identification of these arthropods?
(I hope this doesn't turn anyone off of cheese!)

8 comments:

Unknown said...

The cheese mite.

Anonymous said...

Acarus siro

Trish Simner said...

I was thinking of this the other day!
The cheese is called Mimolette cheese. Acarus siro mites are used to contribute to the taste and the appearance of the cheese. Mmmm Happy Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

Yug! This is new to me. Wikipedia notes that in April 2013, the Food and Drug Administration blocked imports of mimolette to the United States. It was deemed "unfit for consumption." Is this no longer the case? The mite is Tyrophagus putrescentiae.
bw in vt

Anonymous said...

For sure, there are a lot of micro-organisms that would make our world worth the living and taste. From the Penicillium to the lactobacilli and now the cheese mites, all contribute to a savory morsel.
Of course there are a few who would not touch such delicacies, and for these there is only a French paraphrase:"Le sot l'y laisse".

Florida Fan

Anonymous said...

Acarus siro it is.. aka cheese mites.
Purposely introduced into Mimolette cheese to improve the flavour.

Wan Hafiz

Anonymous said...

Acarus siro...identification by google..LOL Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Lee

Anonymous said...

ACARIUS SIRO