Survival and infestivity of Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis and var. hominis

SUMMARY Scabies is a worldwide disease and a major public health problem in many developing countries, related primarily to poverty and overcrowding. In remote Aboriginal communities in northern Australia, prevalences of up to 50% among children have been described, despite the availability of effective chemotherapy. Sarcoptic mange is also an important veterinary disease engendering significant morbidity and mortality in wild, domestic, and farmed animals. Scabies is caused by the ectoparasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei burrowing into the host epidermis. Clinical symptoms include intensely itchy lesions that often are a precursor to secondary bacterial pyoderma, septicemia, and, in humans, poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. Although diagnosed scabies cases can be successfully treated, the rash of the primary infestation takes 4 to 6 weeks to develop, and thus, transmission to others often occurs prior to therapy. In humans, the symptoms of scabies infestations can mimic other dermatological skin diseases, and traditional tests to diagnose scabies are less than 50% accurate. To aid early identification of disease and thus treatment, a simple, cheap, sensitive, and specific test for routine diagnosis of active scabies is essential. Recent developments leading to the expression and purification of S. scabiei recombinant antigens have identified a number of molecules with diagnostic potential, and current studies include the investigation and assessment of the accuracy of these recombinant proteins in identifying antibodies in individuals with active scabies and in differentiating those with past exposure. Early identification of disease will enable selective treatment of those affected, reduce transmission and the requirement for mass treatment, limit the potential for escalating mite resistance, and provide another means of controlling scabies in populations in areas of endemicity.

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“…Among adults, sexual contact is perhaps the (9). However, the mites' ability to infest the host decreases with increased time off the host.…”

Section: Infectivity Survival and Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Problems in Diagnosing Scabies, a Global Disease in Human and Animal Populations

2007

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“…canis are repeatedly passaged on rabbits and dogs. 16 Mites were collected from 2 subpopulations of dog-derived mites obtained from experimentally infested dogs and rabbits in Ohio. Thirty-two dog-derived mites (ex-rabbit) were collected in 1992, and 32 dog-derived mites (ex-dog) were collected in 1997, and subsequently genotyped.…”

Section: Sarcoptes Scabiei Populations From Different Countries and Hmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetically distinct dog-derived and human-derived Sarcoptes scabiei in scabies-endemic communities in northern Australia.

Walton¹,

Choy²,

Bonson³

et al. 1999

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

102

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Abstract. Overcrowding is a significant factor contributing to endemic infection with Sarcoptes scabiei in human and animal populations. However, since scabies mites from different host species are indistinguishable morphologically, it is unclear whether people can be infected from scabies-infested animals. Molecular fingerprinting was done using three S. scabiei-specific single locus hypervariable microsatellite markers, with a combined total of 70 known alleles. Multilocus analysis of 712 scabies mites from human and dog hosts in Ohio, Panama and Aboriginal communities in northern Australia now shows that genotypes of dog-derived and human-derived scabies cluster by host species rather than by geographic location. Because of the apparent genetic separation between human scabies and dog scabies, control programs for human scabies in endemic areas do not require resources directed against zoonotic infection from dogs.When scabies is endemic in humans and dogs in the same community, it is unclear whether humans and dogs are potential hosts in a single transmission cycle or whether there are two separate transmission cycles. Morphologic studies cannot distinguish mites from dogs (Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis) from those of human origin (var. hominis), and it is not known whether var. canis is capable of infecting and completing a life cycle in humans.

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“…canis off the host have been experimentally demonstrated to survive for several days and weeks depending on (relative) humidity and temperature (not known for N. cati, Arlian et al 1984;Arlian 1988). At low temperatures between 10 and 15 °C combined with high relative humidity (45-97 %), the off-host life span of all life stages varied between 5 days and 3 weeks.…”

Section: Viability Of S Scabiei Without Host Attachmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The taxonomy, life cycle and pathology of Sarcoptes scabiei and Notoedres cati (Acarina, Sarcoptidae): A review in a Fennoscandian wildlife perspective

et al. 2015

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Mites constitute an old cosmopolitan group, abundant in various terrestrial and aquatic habitats of considerable environmental variations. The majority of mites are free-living, whereas some have evolved parasitic relationships with a variety of animals either as endo-or ectoparasites. The ectoparasitic and skin burrowing Sarcoptes scabiei and Notoedres cati, cause sarcoptic and notoedric mange among a variety of mammalian species, including humans. In a non-adequate host these mites lead to pseudo-scabies which is often self-curable. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of recent knowledge on the taxonomy, life cycles and pathology of these two mites, which are of relevance to Fennoscandian wildlife, by considering knowledge on transmission vectors, host immunology, and some documented outbreaks. These mites affect the health and survival of mammals in four ways; 1) skin tissue damages, 2) loss of body fluids, 3) allergic reactions and 4) secondary bacterial infections. A short-term effect of outbreaks is usually high mortality, and long-term effects vary from extinction to biased population structure to no effect at all. Red foxes are generalist predators that are important end-hosts for mites that develop disease depending on their immunity status, and transmit mites to other hosts. Outbreaks of mange may possibly have ecological consequences on a wider scale. In an endangered species, like the arctic fox or Eurasian lynx, loss of only a few individuals can be critical. It might be wise for management authorities to develop emergency plans to minimize consequences of outbreaks of sarcoptic or notoedric mange in threatened species such as the arctic fox and the lynx.

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Survival and infestivity of Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis and var. hominis

Cited by 197 publications

References 8 publications

Problems in Diagnosing Scabies, a Global Disease in Human and Animal Populations

Problems in Diagnosing Scabies, a Global Disease in Human and Animal Populations

Genetically distinct dog-derived and human-derived Sarcoptes scabiei in scabies-endemic communities in northern Australia.

The taxonomy, life cycle and pathology of Sarcoptes scabiei and Notoedres cati (Acarina, Sarcoptidae): A review in a Fennoscandian wildlife perspective

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