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Clinical Medicine & Research
Volume 5, Number 1 : 17
doi:10.3121/cmr.2007.722
© 2007 Marshfield Clinic
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The Aperture

Scabies – A Hypersensitive Subject

Caleb H. Creswell, BS and Erik J. Stratman, MD*

Caleb H. Creswell, BS, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin 53701
Erik J. Stratman, MD, Department of Dermatology, Marshfield Clinic, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449 (Email: stratman.erik{at}marshfieldclinic.org)

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Key Words: Sarcoptes scabiei var humanus • scabies • pruritic papular rash • mite • ova • scybal

Hypersensitivity reaction to the scabies mite, Sarcoptes scabiei var humanus, can result in an intensely pruritic papular rash. Clinical exam should focus on locating mite burrows, which appear as short, wavy, threadlike scaling lines, sometimes with a small black dot located at one end, representing the burrowing mite. Areas of predilection include the wrists, elbows, umbilicus, axillae, genitals and hands, especially the webspaces.

After locating a burrow, a scabies preparation can be performed by scraping the burrow with a #15 scalpel blade dipped in mineral oil and transferring the contents to a glass slide for microscopic examination. The diagnosis can be confirmed with visualization of the scabies mite itself (inset A), the ova of the mite (inset B), or the scybala (feces) of the mite (inset C).


Figure 1

The Aperture, like the opening in the lens of a microscope that allows light to pass through, is a forum for art, humor, and images that provides a portal for new or different views of medicine and research.





This Article
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Right arrow Articles by Creswell, C. H.
Right arrow Articles by Stratman, E. J.

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