1. Scabies Mites Slideshow Pictures
2. Adult Skin Problems Slideshow Pictures
3. Childhood Skin Problems Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• Scabies facts
• What is scabies? What causes a scabies infestation?
• How do you get scabies?
• Can you catch scabies from a dog or cat?
• What are risk factors for scabies?
• What does a scabies rash look like? What are scabies symptoms and signs?
• What does scabies feel like?
• How is a scabies infestation diagnosed?
• What are treatment options and home remedies for a scabies infestation?
• Are cases of scabies often misdiagnosed?
• What are possible complications of scabies?
• Can a scabies infestation be prevented?
• In what special situations can scabies be more easily spread?
• What is Norwegian or crusted scabies?
• What is the prognosis (outlook) for scabies?
• Pictures of Scabies Mites - Slideshow
• Pictures of Adult Skin Problems - Slideshow
• Pictures of Childhood Skin Problems - Slideshow
• Patient Comments: Scabies - Causes
• Patient Comments: Scabies - How it's Contracted
• Patient Comments: Scabies - Effective Treatments
• Patient Comments: Scabies - Symptoms
• Find a local Dermatologist in your town
• Scabies Index

Scabies is very easy to misdiagnose because early subtle infestation may look like small pimples or mosquito bites. Those affected may believe they have another condition, such as bedbug bites or other kinds of rashes. Over a few weeks, however, mistakes like this become evident as patients feel worse and worse with symptoms they can't ignore.

The intense itching of scabies leads to prolonged and often intense scratching of the skin. When the skin is broken or injured due to scratching, secondary bacterial infections of the skin can develop from bacteria normally present on the skin, such as Staphylococcus aureus or beta-hemolytic streptococci.

Scabies can be prevented by avoiding close personal contact with infested people. Sexual contacts and household members of people who develop scabies can be treated as soon as the condition is identified so that they will not develop the signs or symptoms of the condition. The treatment for these exposed people is the same as the treatment of the infested individual.

Elderly and weakened people in nursing homes and similar institutional settings may harbor scabies without showing significant itching or visible signs. In such cases, there can be widespread epidemics among patients and health care workers. Such cases are dramatic but, fortunately, uncommon.

Norwegian scabies, or crusted scabies, is a severe form of scabies first described in Norway. Crusted scabies almost always affects people with a compromised immune system and is observed most frequently in the elderly, those who are mentally or physically disabled, and in patients with AIDS, lymphoma, or other conditions that decrease the effectiveness of the immune response. Due to the poor function of the immune system, an individual may become infested with hundreds of thousands of the mites. The lesions of this distinctive form of scabies are extensive and may spread all over the body. The elbows, knees, palms, scalp, and soles of the feet are most commonly the original sites of involvement, and the scaly areas eventually take on a wart-like appearance. The fingernails can be thickened and discolored. Interestingly, itching may be minimal or absent in this form of scabies.

A particular danger of crusted scabies is that these lesions often predispose to the development of secondary infections, as with staphylococcus or streptococcus bacteria.