Scabies Amy Weyer

Background Information Scabies is a skin disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei More than 300 million cases occur worldwide every year It is also known as the human itch mite or the scabies itch mite

Taxonomy Kingdom- Animalia Phylum- Arthropoda Class- Arachnida Order- Acarina Family- Sarcoptidae Genus- Sarcoptes Species- scabiei

Geographic Range Worldwide Affects all socioeconomic classes in all climates

Host Definitive Host: Humans (host specific) Intermediate Host: none

Morphology Adults: 8 legs, Round body, Females are larger than males (<0.5 mm in length) Larvae: 6 legs Eggs: oval,(0.1-0.15 mm in length)

Life Cycle

Symptoms Itching (usually worse at night) Tracks of small blisters or red bumps on skin Crusty or scaly skin which is called crusted scabies (more severe)

Symptoms cont. The itchy bumps and blisters usually occur in the folds of the skin: Armpits Under nails Male genital area Belt line Between fingers Inner thighs

Diagosis Examination of skin for mite burrows Skin scraping to look for mites or eggs under the microscope

Treatment Permethrin cream (5%) Crotamiton and Ivermectin are alternatives All clothes and bedding used by an infested person should be washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer

Controls Don’t share personal items such as combs, clothes, towels, bedding Change clothing regularly Wash bedding regularly

References http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/scabies/DS00451/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/std/scabies.htm#Prevention http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/html/scabies.htm http://www.stanford.edu/class/humbio103/ParaSites2004/Scabies/Scabies%20Home.htm

Review What is the geographic range? How is it transmitted between humans? How is it diagnosed? What is the treatment? What is one control method?