SCABIES

By: Jasmine Stough

Bio 108

Kalumet, 11 June 2004

Mattos,
2006

Sarcoptes scabiei
Sarcoptes scabiei, otherwise known as scabies, is a highly
contagious infestation of microscopic mites that affect
humans and animals alike. Contracting scabies is more
common then one may think, and occurs worldwide. No
one is safe from an infestation of scabies because it can
affect any race or social class. Scabies can also spread at
a rapid pace, and this usually occurs in crowded areas
where there is a chance of prolonged contact.
(Bandyopadhyay).

History of Scabies

David, Jacques- Louis,

1797.

Scabies dates back about 2500 years ago ( Scabies

Homepage), and was documented all over Europe;
however, it wasnt known as scabies to those who
experienced it. In these eras it was known as the
itch. (Ramos).

In earlier times scabies was commonly found among

the poor who exhibited bad hygiene, but some of
the wealthiest people also experienced encounters.
In fact, Napoleon I was said to have suffered from
the itch his whole life. (Ramos).

In 1687 an Italian man named Giovanni Cosimo

Bonomo had finally discovered the mite responsible
for the inflictions. He came across a person who was
itching a lot and broke open one of the pustules. He
then took the remnants of what was inside the
pustule and examined it under a microscope. He did
this numerous times to different people, of different
ages, and different times of the year getting the
same result each time. (Ramos).

History of Scabies Cont.

Bonomo studied his findings until he

was satisfied and then wrote a letter to
Francesco Redi who later published in a
book the discovery of scabies. (Ramos).

Until Bonomos remarkable discovery

of this flesh eating mite, people
suffered uncontrollable itching and
much distress.

The treatment Bonomo found effective

was a local therapy, sulphur, which was
used up until now. He also realized that
the local treatment had to be applied
for up to two or three days after the
itching subsided because un-hatched
eggs could hatch and restart the cycle.
(Ramos).

Tsaiid, 20 September 2007.

Different Types of Scabies

Clean Mans Scabies

Clean Mans Scabies: This is seen in

individuals who bathe regularly, and
keep very clean. In this case, the lesions
are minimal and hard to see. Itching
tends to be not as intense. (Babu,
2006).

Infant Scabies: This occurs in babies

and young children, and is often
misdiagnosed or mistreated. Scabies
will affect the whole body of the child,
and there will be a large amount of
pustules. (Babu, 2006).

Scabies Incognito: Normally, if a strong

type of treatment, such as steroids, are
applied then the scabies are masked
and the lesions are suppressed. (Babu,
2006).

Infant Scabies

Davis, 2010

SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget,

2008

Scabies Incognito-Steriods

Wikidudeman, 2007

Different Types of Scabies Cont.

Norwegian Scabies

Norwegian Scabies: This is an

intense case of crusted scabies.
In this case, there can be up to
hundreds or thousands of mites
within the lesions. This occurs
commonly in autoimmune
deficient individuals, or people
who are mentally challenged.
(Babu, 2006).
Animal Scabies: Animals are
susceptible to scabies too.
Domestic pets that contract
scabies are liable to pass it on
to the other members of the
household as well. (Babu,

Ukster1,
2008.

Animal
Scabies

Tiny_packages,
2009

Physical
Features

Unknown, 1876

Scabies are a certain type of mite. Mites are

related to the arachnid family the same as
ticks and spiders. (Drisdelle).
Scabies are creamy white with brown legs
and mouthparts. Sarcoptes scabiei type
hominis, 2008.
The adult female is about 0.4 mm long and
0.3 mm wide. The adult male is smaller in
both dimensions by one third. Also need a
microscope to actually see the mite itself.
Sarcoptes scabiei type hominis, 2008.

They have no armor, no trachea, and no eyes.

(Speare, 2008).
Scabies mites have no respiratory system. They
breathe through the skin. (Drisdelle).
They can be very mobile when not inside a host.
(Speare, 2008).
They have 8 legs with the two in the front as walking
legs. (Speare, 2008).
Scabies have suckers that allow them to attach
to surfaces to walk upwards. (Speare, 2008).
GerardM, 2005

Reproduction
o The female mite finds a host
and burrows down into his or her
skin.
o As the female is burrowing
through the hosts skin she
leaves a trail of eggs. She can
leave two to three eggs a day for
up to two months. (Gould, 2009).
o The eggs will then hatch about
four days after they are laid. The
new larvae grow and shed their
outer coat about two times and
then become adults. (Gould,
2009).

Haggstrom,
2011

Reproduction Cont.
o

After fully grown the adult mites burrow

through the skin to the surface to find a
mate. (Gould, 2009).

Males do not dig burrows. Instead, they

stay on the skins surface waiting for
females to mate with. (Gould, 2009).

After the females mate they return inside

the skin where they continue to burrow
and lay eggs. Then the process starts all
over again. (Drisdelle, 2007).

The entire life cycle of the mites are 1014 days, and usually they live for about
30 days. (Gould, 2009).

A picture of a burrow

Geary,
2006

Transmission
Scabies can be picked up by
several different ways.

Most commonly is direct prolonged

body-to-body contact. This occurs
in homes between family
members. Even more commonly
between people who share beds or
are sexual partners. Scabies
Frequently Asked Questions,
2010.

JoshLawton,
2005

Sharing clothing or bedding is

another form of transmission, but
not as common. (Gould, 2009).
Pinprick,
2005

Transmission Cont.

An individual who has scabies, but isn't exhibiting symptoms can still
spread them without knowing. Scabies Frequently Asked Questions,
2010.

Most common place to contract scabies is:

Child care facilities

Hospitals

Nursing
homes

Prisons

FrotosGov/Ba,
2011.

Ulrichkarljoho,
2009.

Freeformkatia,
2008.
Miss_millions, 2010

Signs and Symptoms

Haggstrom, 2011

Most common symptom is severe

itching also known as pruritus.
The itching tends to get worse at
night or after hot showers.
Sarcoptes scabiei type
hominis, 2008.

May have a pimple-like rash that

can affect most of the body or be
limited to common sites such as:

Armpit

Penis
Wrist

Waist
Webbing between
fingers

Buttocks
Nipples
Elbow

Sarcoptes scabiei type

Signs and Symptoms Cont.

The head, face, neck, palms, and

soles are common sites for infants that

contract scabies. Scabies Frequently
Asked Questions, 2010.

Symptoms dont usually show up

until two to six weeks after contracted;
however, if someone has been reinfested then symptoms can show up
in a week. (Gould, 2009).
In individuals with weakened
immune systems mites tend to be
present in large amounts, which is
commonly known as Norwegian
Scabies. Scabies Frequently Asked
Questions, 2010.

Steschke,
2005.

Health Complications
Scabies is not normally fatal, but if left untreated
some serious health issues may arise.

Severe bacterial infections my occur from all the scratching.

Scratching tears open the skin and dirt from your nails and other
environmental factors can contaminate the wound and cause an
infection. Scabies Frequently Asked Questions, 2010.

Bacterial infections can lead to inflammation of the kidneys

called post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. Scabies
Frequently Asked Questions, 2010.

Some other complications can be lack of sleep due to the

increase of itching at night, irritability, depression, and anxiety.

Diagnosis

Dalboz17,
2009.

Diagnosis can be made based of an

assessment of the rash and
appearance. Scabies Frequently
Asked Questions, 2010.

When convenient, taking samples of

the mite, mite eggs, and fecal matter
is important for proper diagnosis.
These items can be obtained by a skin
scrapping or removing them from a
burrow with a needle. Scabies
Frequently Asked Questions, 2010.

Diagnosis should only be made by

either a nurse or a doctor because
scabies can easily be misdiagnosed.
(Gould, 2009).

Treatment

The best treatment is with a topical insecticide. (Gould,

2009).

For treatment to work it is necessary to have all members

living with you to be treated as well even if he or she is not
showing symptoms. (Gould, 2009).

The product to treat scabies can only be obtained by a

doctors
prescription. Scabies Frequently Asked Questions, 2010.

The ointment is applied twice with one week in between

applications. It should be applied to all areas of the body from
the neck down. It should also be applied to a clean body and
be left on for the recommended time. (Gould, 2009).

Any skin sores should also be treated with an antibiotic to

prevent a bacterial infection. Scabies Frequently Asked
Questions, 2010.

In addition, all bedding and clothing should be washed

thoroughly, or sealed in a bag for 72 hours. Scabies
Frequently Asked Questions, 2010.

Micah & Erin,

2005.

Conclusion

If you suspect you have come into contact with

someone who has scabies, or you start to see
symptoms it is very important to see a doctor
immediately.

Scabies can rapidly spread and affect a lot of people.

Scabies is not always a hygiene issue, so dont be

ashamed if you have contracted the mite.

Be responsible and take the necessary precautions to

prevent the people that come in contact with you from
getting it.

Work Cited
Research:
Babu, Hanish Dr. Scabies: The Seven Year Itch. Skin Care Tips from Dermatologist. Dr. Hanish Babu. 2006. Web. 29 November 2011.
<http://www.skin-care-tips-from-dermatologist.com/scabies.htm>.
Bandyopadhyay, Debabrata. Scabies. Tripod. n.p. n.d. Web. 28 November 2011. <http://dermind.tripod.com/scabies.htm>.
Drisdelle, Rosemary. Scabies mite-Sarcoptes scabiei: An Itchy Contagious Parasite That Lives on Skin and Burrows. n.p. 10 April 2007.
Web. 11 October 2011. <http://rosemary-drisdelle.suite101.com/scabies-mite-sarcoptes-scabiei-a l 8446
Gould, Dinah. Prevention, control and treatment of scabies. Art and Science dermatology focus. RCN Publishing Company. 21 December
2009. Academic Search Premier. 11 October 2011.
Ramos, Marcia. Giovan Cosimo Bonomo (1663-1696): Discoverer of the etiology of scabies. Dermato.med. International Journal of
Dermatology. 20 March 1997. Web. 29 November 2011. <http://www.dermato.med.br/hds/bibliography/1998giovan-cosimobonomo.htm>.
Sarcoptes scabiei type hominis. MetaPathogen.com/Scabies. Nemose. 2008. Web. 11 October 2011.
<http://www.metapathogen.com/scabies/>.
Scabies Frequently Asked Questions. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. CDC. 2 November 2010. Web. 11 October 2011.
<http://www.cdc.gov/parasite/scabies/gen_info/faqs.html>.
Scabies Homepage. Stanford.edu. n.p n.d. Web. 28 November 2011.
<http://www.stanford.edu/class/humbio103/ParaSites2005/Scabies/SCABIES.html>.
Speare, Richard. Scabies. Bio.net. n.p. 17 March 2008. Web. 29 November 2011. <http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/parasite/1997March/002068.html>.

Work Cited
Images:
Crispysmith11. The Human Itch Mite. 22 April 2011. Video. YouTube. Web. 29 November 2011.
Dalboz17. Adams a Doctor. 15 December 2009. Photograph. Flickr. Web. 4 December 2011.
David, Jacques- Louis. Portrait of General Napoleon Bonaparte. 1797. Oil on canvas. Wikimedia Common. Web. 3
December 2011.
Davis, Theresa. Infant Scabies. 15 January 2010. Photograph. Scabieshomeremedy.com. Web. 4 December 2011.
Fotos Gov/Ba. Hospital Geral do Estado. 29 November 2011. Photograph. Flickr. Web. 4 December 2011.
Freeformkatia. Daycare Party. 16 April 2008. Photograph. Flickr. Web. 4 December 2011.
Geary, Michael. Scabies-burrow. 2 November 2006. Photograph. Wikimedia Common. Web. 29 November 2011.
GerardM. SOA-Scabies. 1 February 2005. Photograph. Wikimedia Common. Web. 4 December 2011.
Haggstrom, Mikael. Scabies life cycle. 7 March 2011. Photograph. Wikimedia Common. Web. 29 November 2011.
Haggstrom, Mikael. Site of Scabies. 7 March 2011. Photograph. Wikimedia Common. 29 November 2011.
JoshLawton. Romanian Family. 26 August 2005. Photograph. Flickr. Web. 4 December 2011.

Work Cited Cont.

Images:
Kalumet. Sarcoptes scabei. 11 June 2004. Photograph. Wikimedia Common. Web. 28
Novemeber 2011.
Mattos, Dalton. Sarna. 2006. Photograph. Wikimedia Common. Web. 28 November 2011.
Micah & Erin. Scabie Poison. 7 November 2005. Photograph. Flickr. 4 December 2011.
Miss_millions. Prison Cells. 1 June 2010. Photograph. Flickr. Web. 4 December 2011.
Pinprick. Horrible messy bed. 27 November 2005. Photograph. Flickr. Web. 4 December 2011.
SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget. Woman washing her hair. 7 September 2008. Photograph.
Flickr. Web. 4 December 2011.
Sidnmd. Scabies Mite Live. 3 September 2009. Video. YouTube. 29 November 2011.
Steschke. Acarodermatitis Hand. 4 January 2005. Photograph. Flickr. 4 December 2011.
Tiny_packages. Male fox with possible mange. 2 March 2009. Flickr. Web. 4 December 2011.
Tsaiid. SV308946. 20 September 2007. Photograph. Flickr. Web. 3 December 2011.

Work Cited Cont.

Images:

Ukster1. Norwegian Scabies in Homeless AIDS patient. 15 January 2008. Photograph. Wikimedia
Common. Web. 4 December 2011.
Ulrichkarljoho. Last staion nursing home. 7 November 2009. Photograph. Flickr. Web. 4
December 2011.

Unknown. Sarcoptes scabiei. 1876. Photograph. Wikimedia Common. Web. 29 November 2011

Wikidudeman. Rawdealsteriods4. 25 September 2007. Photograph. Wikimedia Common. Web. 4

December 2011.