1. SCABIES
By: Jasmine Stough
Bio 108
Kalumet, 11 June 2004

2. Mattos, 2006
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).

3.  Scabies dates back about 2500 years ago ( Scabies
Homepage), and was documented all over Europe; however,
it wasn’t 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
David, Jacques- Louis, 1797. getting the same result each time. (Ramos).

4.  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 Bonomo’s 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 Tsaiid, 20 September 2007.
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).

5. Clean Man’s Scabies  Clean Man’s Scabies: This is seen in
Infant Scabies 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
SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, 2008 there will be a large amount of pustules.
Davis, 2010
(Babu, 2006).
Scabies Incognito-Steriods
 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).
Wikidudeman, 2007

6. 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
Ukster1, 2008.
individuals, or people who are
mentally challenged. (Babu, 2006). Animal Scabies
 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, 2006).
Tiny_packages, 2009 .

7. 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

8. o The female mite finds a host and
burrows down into his or her skin.
o As the female is burrowing
through the host’s 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 Haggstrom, 2011
about two times and then become
adults. (Gould, 2009).

9. o After fully grown the adult mites
burrow through the skin to the surface
to find a mate. (Gould, 2009).
o Males do not dig burrows. Instead,
they stay on the skin’s surface waiting
for females to mate with. (Gould, 2009).
o After the females mate they return A picture of a burrow
inside the skin where they continue to
burrow and lay eggs. Then the process
starts all over again. (Drisdelle, 2007).
o The entire life cycle of the mites are 10-
14 days, and usually they live for about
30 days. (Gould, 2009).
Geary, 2006

10. 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 JoshLawton, 2005
share beds or are sexual partners.
“Scabies Frequently Asked Questions”,
2010.
 Sharing clothing or bedding is another
form of transmission, but not as
common. (Gould, 2009).
Pinprick, 2005

11.  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.
Freeformkatia, 2008.
Ulrichkarljoho, 2009.
Miss_millions, 2010

12. Haggstrom, 2011 

Armpit Penis
Buttocks
Wrist
Waist Nipples
Elbow
Webbing between fingers

13.  The head, face, neck, palms, and soles are
common sites for infants that contract
scabies. “Scabies Frequently Asked
Questions”, 2010.
Symptoms don’t usually show up until
two to six weeks after contracted; however,
if someone has been re-infested 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.

14. 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.

15.  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
Dalboz17, 2009. be misdiagnosed. (Gould, 2009).

16. 





Micah & Erin, 2005.

17.  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 don’t 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.

18. 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-cosimo-bonomo.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/1997-March/002068.html>.

19. Images:
Crispysmith11. The Human Itch Mite. 22 April 2011. Video. YouTube. Web. 29 November 2011.
Dalboz17. Adam’s 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.