Treatment includes application of scabicide to infected person and close contacts and washing of potentially contaminated clothing and bedding. In sexually active age groups, consider sexual transmission and investigation for other STIs. TOP OF PAGE Aetiology and epidemiology Scabies is caused by infestation with the mite Sarcoptes scabiei . It causes a skin infestation which commonly involved the genital areas, buttocks, lower abdomen, wrists, forearms and interdigital areas. In adults and older children the face and scalp tend to be spared.
Mites burrow into the stratum corneum of the skin, depositing faeces as they burrow.
Females also lay eggs in the burrows. On hatching, offspring crawl onto the skin and make new burrows. Mite faeces are absorbed into skin capillaries. The resulting hypersensitivity reaction causes generalised itch. Away from the human body, mites die within 72 hours.