Scabies is an infestation of the skin with a mite known as Sarcoptes scabiei. Female mites are attracted to odor and warmth and settle into the folds of human skin. After creating a tunnel in the skin, the female deposits eggs, leaving behind a trail that looks like a pencil mark. When these eggs mature, the new mites begin to spread over the skin, causing intense itching.

Scabies is a contagious condition that is usually spread by skin-to-skin or sexual contact. People who live in close contact – such as children in day care facilities or schools, students in college dormitories, and older adults in nursing homes – are at increased risk for spreading or contracting scabies.  

Intense itchiness is the symptom most often associated with scabies. It tends to worsen after a hot bath and at night when a patient is lying in bed. Many different conditions can cause similar symptoms, so the most effective way for a physician to diagnose scabies is to take a scraping of skin and analyze the sample using a microscope. This can reveal the presence of the mite responsible for scabies.

The only effective treatment for scabies is to use a medicated cream or lotion that kills the mites. This is applied over the patient’s entire body except the head (infants may require treatment on the hairline) and left on the skin for at least eight to 12 hours. It then is washed off. These medications kill the mites very quickly. Within just a few hours, patients will no longer be contagious and new marks should stop appearing within a couple of days.