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Sarcoptic mites are obligate parasites which spend most of their lives in burrows in the skin.
If the mite invades a person's skin, and establishes itself, symptoms of scabies will become apparent, although it may take four to six weeks. Scabies is transmitted from person to person by close personal and prolonged skin contact. Transmission also occurs when people are sleeping together and can be common in families, dormitories, institutions and nurseries. While it may be possible to acquire a scabies infestation via inanimate, contaminated items of clothing or bedding, this is not generally regarded as a significant method of transmission. Human scabies infestations are not confined to poor, illiterate, or unclean populations.