Scabies
September/October 2009 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 22 Number 5
Scabies
By Frank Hubbell, DO
Illustrations by T.B.R. Walsh
Sarcoptes scabiei, variety hominis
Scabies is Latin for “to scratch”. It was first described over 2500 years ago as a lice of the skin.
Scabies is a very small mite that spends its entire life-cycle in and on human skin.
An obligate ectoparasite that infects the skin and causes a red, itchy rash, Scabies is very common worldwide with an estimated 300 million new cases annually.
Every traveler is at risk of contracting this bothersome rash.
