Related concepts:

Mite infestation

Introduction to scabies:

A child has an itchy rash. Someone has called it eczema, or something like that, and a cortisone cream was prescribed. But the itching never improved. Or perhaps your child has no rash at all, but scratches relentlessly. Either way, perhaps the child has undiagnosed scabies.

What is scabies?

Scabies are tiny mites that are quite common and can infest the skin. Itching is caused by a normal allergic reaction to the mites, their eggs, and their feces. Itching may be quite intense, and often appears before any visible sign of infestation.

The adult female mite is the size of a pinpoint and is barely visible to the unaided eye. She has four sets of legs on a round body covered with brown spines and bristles. When she lands on someone's skin, she burrows underneath the outer layer within 30 minutes, usually without being noticed. Every day she extends her burrow by up to 1/4 inch horizontally under the surface of the skin. Along the way, she lays little oval eggs, and also leaves many tiny fecal droppings. She will survive for about a month, and then die within the burrow.

The eggs hatch 3-5 days after being laid. The little larvae squirm through the burrow back towards the skin surface. They reach maturity in 2-3 weeks. They mate as soon as they find partners, and the pregnant females each start new burrows.

Usually the person doesn't suspect any problem for about four weeks, while the mites burrow and reproduce, without causing any symptoms. Eventually, an allergic response develops in the host person. If a healthy person has had scabies before, the allergic response begins within minutes, rather than weeks. On the other end of the time spectrum, if a new host's immune system is suppressed, the allergic response may take months rather than weeks.

Chiggers and the mites that cause mange in dogs may also cause mite infestations in children.

Who gets scabies?

Children are the most vulnerable, but anyone can get them. Whenever a child develops intense itching, especially at night, the possibility of scabies should be considered.

What are the symptoms of scabies?

Intense itching, especially at night, is the hallmark symptom. It may be present before any other symptom.

Soon, 1-2 mm raised red bumps typically appear (they often look like pimples). Sometimes they are crusted, scaling, or ulcerated. Occasionally, there are blisters or hives. Threadlike burrows are sometimes visible under the skin. After several weeks or several months, a widespread eczema-like rash may camouflage the original problem. The scabies rash is sometimes confused with drug reactions, eczema, seborrhea, chicken pox, and other viral rashes.

Scabies like to burrow in the web spaces of the fingers, the creases of the wrists, the armpits, the ankles, the feet, the genitals, and the nipples. They can occur anywhere on the body, although the face and neck are usually spared.

Is scabies contagious?

Scabies is highly contagious. Spread of the mites usually occurs directly from person to person.