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.

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