Basically a form of burrowing lice.
Scabies are often
misdiagnosed in the
early stages. The first infection simply looks like a
irritated pimple. Eventually the pimple elongates into a trail.
The female scabie (scabite??)
burrows under the skin to lay her
eggs. she moves along under the
skin at a rate of 1/4
cm per night, leaving a
trail of eggs and feces behind. The eggs hatch in 3-5 days, then the young rise to the surface. The female continues to burrow until she dies, in 2-4 weeks.
Treatment usually involves bathing in a
sulfur power, but approx. 30 % of females are
immune to this now. Other, similar treatments are availible. The female dies in a few days/hours, but her eggs remain dead under the skin for up to a month. Although the patient is no longer
infectious, they
itch like hell.
Scabies are highly infectious and can be spread through sexual or other close forms of contact. They are sometime caught from
toliet seats. They will die after 2-3 days without a
blood meal.
It was once believed that scabies were a
parasite that only affected the lower
socio-economic groups, but now it is generally accepted that they affect all classes equally.