Wednesday 8 May 2019

What is scabies?

Scabies is an infection of the skin caused by a scabies mite. The Latin name for this is 'Sarcoptes scabiei'.

The females of the scabies mite dig small passageways in the top layer of the skin and lay their eggs in it. These eggs come out after three to four days. The animals are grown-up within 18 days. The faeces, the secretions, the eggs and certain other substances cause an allergic reaction to human skin. This reaction causes itching, blisters, bumps, redness and scaling. With a first infection, it takes two to six weeks until these reactions are visible/palpable.



For a contamination there must have been a skin contact that lasts longer than 15 minutes. That is why most infections occur through sexual contact. There is no risk of being infected when shaking hands or touching them briefly. When you sleep in the bed, or wear clothes from someone who has scabies, the scabies mite can be transferred. The condition is contagious. Often, scabies occurs in bed- or housemates, which must then also be treated.

The symptoms of scabies are often so recognizable that the (skin) doctor can make the diagnosis on the eye. To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor uses a small knife to remove a skin scraping from a bump or a passageway. This scraping is placed under the microscope. The scabies mite can be clearly seen then.

Scabies can be treated by smearing the whole body with a special cream. Furthermore, clothing and bedding must be washed at 60 degrees.

Prepared slide by Lieder www.lieder.de

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