These parasites are known for making their victims itch. The feeling is constant and the need to scratch it is relentless. It has been compared to intense allergic itching, but it’s not poison ivy; it’s an infestation of epidermal invaders. The itching may also get worse at night and over time it will continue to intensify. Along with feeling like your skin is crawling, there is also the misery of a rash made up of tiny red blisters and bumps.

Other Conditions

There are other skin ailments that can produce intense itching. Eczema and hives, for example, produce intense itching. But the feeling will come and go. With scabies, the need to itch never stops.

Location

The rash typically affects certain parts of the body. They are usually located in the webs between the fingers and on the wrists, on the back of the elbows and the knees, around the waist line and umbilicus, the axillary fold, all around the sides and backs of feet, the buttocks and genitalia and around the nipples. They are not usually found on the legs or arms.

Appearance

The bumps and blisters can be indicative of another problem, but watch to see if they are paired with projections the resemble threads. They can be from 2mm to 15mm long and area usually gray, brown or red lines. They may appear as linear stretch marks and can be picked apart by scratching.

Norwegian Scabies

Also known as crusted scabies, this is a severe form of the disease. This particular form is transmitted by the Sarcoptes Scabeie mite. It also typically strikes people who already have a suppressed immune system. The rash may resemble psoriasis and a crust will develop over the skin, along with thickened nails.

Transmission

To understand if you have scabies, you should understand how they are transmitted. Direct skin to skin contact is required for transmission, and it must be prolonged contact. In other words, you didn’t get scabies from shaking someone’s hand or because your coat was hanging too close to someone else’s. Scabies is transmitted through prolonged hugs and sexual contact. For this reason, scabies is considered to be a sexually transmitted disease. It is typically transmitted between parents and children or sexual partners.

Duration

Scabies love the fertile breeding ground of the human body. They lay their eggs in people. While a parasite will only live a short 3 days without a host, it can survive up to a month under your skin. This gives it plenty of time to lay eggs and keep the cycle going.

Testing

There is no blood test for scabies. Scrapings of the skin may be taken and examined for evidence. If the doctor suspects an infection treatment may begin, even if an actual parasite has not been found.

Treatment

Creams are applied to the body from the neck down and left on overnight. Permethrin is one common choice. It is repeated in seven days. Another option is to use lindane for shorter periods of time. Ivermectin is an oral treatment that is taken to battle scabies. The initial dose is repeated after 2 weeks.

Animals and People

Scabies is not typically transmitted between animals and humans. Animals that are infected with sarcoptes scabeis will develop sarcoptic mange. This is one of the few scabies mites that is happy to dine on either humans or animals. Like a tick infestation, sarcoptic scabies will go back and forth between these hosts. Treatments for tick infestation can also be used to treat scabies infections in household pets.