What is Scabies? Scabies is a common parasitic infection caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis, arthropod of the order Acarina. Its worldwide occurrence with epidemics during war, famine, and overcrowding is responsible for an estimated 300 million cases every year. From the time of the Greeks and Romans through the Middle Ages, this disease was also known as the "itch". Roman physician Celsus is credited with describing its characteristic features and designating the term "scabies". In 1687, Italian physician Giovanni Cosimo Bonomo discovered the parasitic etiology of the disease, making scabies one of the first ilnesses with a known cause. In modern medical literature, scabies refers to the various skin lesions produced by female mites, their eggs and scybala that are deposited in the epidermis, leading to …show more content…
In crusted or Norwegian scabies (which is a rare, severe form of the disease) transmission may also occur via infected clothing or bedding. Once they find a new host, the mites can start to burrow within minutes. At the moment there are no published research on the minimum contact time required for the transfer of mites, hence any person in a direct contact with an individual who has scabies is considered at risk for infestation. Scabies mites are able to survive and remain capable of infestation for approximately 24 to 36 hours at room conditions (at 21°C and 40%–80% relative humidity), but up to 19 days in a cool and humid environment. To identify a potential host, adult mites use odor and thermotaxis. This skin infestation often occurs in the form of cyclic epidemics. Significant associations with poverty, poor personal hygiene, overpopulation and war-centric pandemics have been described. In fact, the disease is particularly rampant in overcrowded places without adequate sanitation such as nursing homes, schools and