Sarcoptic mange: a zoonotic ectoparasitic skin disease

J Clin Diagn Res. 2013 Jan;7(1):156-7. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2012/4839.2694. Epub 2012 Nov 12.

Abstract

A 56-year old man attended the Dermatology Outpatients Department with the complaint of a localized, extremely itchy, erythematous papular lesion of acute onset on the ventral aspect of the right thigh. The patient was referred to the Microbiology Lab for the microscopic detection of the fungal elements. The KOH mount from the skin scrapings showed no fungal elements, but it showed the mites of Sarcopetes scabiei mange. The Sarcoptic Mange is noteworthy because of the fact that it is a zoonotic disease which can easily be passed on to humans. A close contact with infested pet dogs was considered as the main predisposing factor in this case. The response to the antiscabietic treatment was dramatic.

Keywords: Sarcopetes scabiei mange; Sarcopetes scabiei var canis; Sarcoptic mange; Zoonotic ectoparasite.