A lot of time has passed since the description of this disease, new hygiene products have appeared, the standard of living of mankind has become higher, but it has not become less relevant. Even the cleanest people are at risk.
Features
The peculiarity of this disease is that it may not appear immediately. The incubation period can last one and a half months, provided that the infection occurred after the larvae came into contact with the skin. If a female tick gets in, the symptoms of the disease appear on the same day. Regeneration occurs in a similar way.
The causative agent of the disease is known as the “subcutaneous scabies mite” - this is due to the peculiarity of its lifestyle. After it gets on human skin, the process of fertilization of the female occurs. Then the male dies. And the female begins to gnaw tunnels in the skin in order to lay eggs.
In order to penetrate the skin, she selects the softest areas of the body: the groin, buttocks, areas between the toes, feet, stomach, chest (in women). In children, this can be the elbows and knees, armpits and face. She makes a puncture of the skin and makes eight passages from it in different directions. The maximum length of such a move is three centimeters. In order to make her work easier, the female secretes a special secretion, which helps loosen the skin, which, in turn, manifests itself severe itching for the patient.
Symptoms of scabies
Let's look at the main signs of the disease:
- Skin itching. This sensation will accompany the patient throughout the entire course of the disease. It can occur a month after infection. In case of relapse, the infected person will begin to feel itching on the same day. This symptom is especially acute in the morning and evening hours, when the worm is more active.
- White or bluish stripes on the skin, so-called scabies. Sometimes they may even have a swollen appearance.
- Itchy, crusty blisters and dry cracks.
All of the above symptoms are a tick. It is quite difficult for especially clean people to admit to others and themselves that they have such a disease. And they are ready to attribute all the signs of this disease to anything, for example, to a food allergy.
Scabies in a child
It can also be detected in a child. The peculiarity of this disease in children is that it is much more severe in them than in adults. This mite can infect all areas of the skin, even those covered with hair.
With children under one year old everything is even more serious. Their weak point in case of scabies is their legs; they swell, crack, and become looser. This disease in children very often occurs in conjunction with another infection, and its treatment can take a long time.
Scabies during pregnancy
Absolutely all people, without exception, are susceptible to tick infection. If a pregnant woman falls ill, she should immediately consult a doctor. When examining the patient, he must take a scraping. What to do if a scabies mite is found in a person in this case? Treatment in such a delicate situation requires special approach, since most medications are contraindicated for pregnant women. Treatment prescribed by a doctor can be not only outpatient, but also inpatient.
Very often, pregnant women are prescribed Spregal aerosol for scabies. It does not in any way affect the development of the fetus. It must be applied to the entire body, with the exception of the head. It is best to do this in the evening. As soon as twelve hours have passed since it was applied to the skin, you need to take a shower and thoroughly wash off the remaining aerosol with soap.
Types of disease
Depending on the behavior of the mite, the following types of scabies are distinguished:
- Typical- characterized by itching, dry skin. With this type, there are pronounced and purulent blisters.
- No moves. This species is observed when larvae come into contact with the skin. In this case, a considerable period of time may pass from the moment of infection. The disease manifests itself without passages in the form of itchy blisters.
- Nodular, or “clean” scabies. Accompanied by typical symptoms. But due to the fact that human skin often comes into contact with water, most of the mites are washed off, and the symptoms become less pronounced.
- Norwegian. People with weakened immune systems are susceptible to this type of disease, such as drug addicts, people with Down syndrome, and HIV-infected people. Ulcers and crusts with accumulations of mites are located throughout the body. In this case, hair areas are also no exception. The Norwegian type of disease causes real suffering to a person.
- Pseudoscabies, or a disease transmitted from animals. Manifests itself in the form of itching. It is quite easy to recover from the disease. It is enough to stop contacting the infected animal - and everything will pass. After all, animal ticks cannot carry out their vital functions on human skin.
- Complicated is a combination of typical scabies and infection. The tick sites become moist and red. This type of disease is very painful and is accompanied by an unpleasant odor.
Diagnosis of the disease
In order to tell the patient with confidence that he has scabies, it is necessary to detect the female mite using a microscope.
Then use a needle to remove it from the affected area of skin. You also need to take a scraping from the patient for scabies mites.
Principles
Before you begin treatment for a disease, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic principles.
- Treatment should be carried out simultaneously for the entire circle of infected people. For example, if several family members suffer from scabies, then they should undergo the course of therapy together. Those who have not yet become infected should definitely undergo prophylaxis.
- Treatment must be carried out under the supervision of a doctor, since medical supplies may cause an allergic reaction. It is also necessary to monitor the condition of the skin and the results of therapy.
- It is necessary to apply anti-scabies products to all areas of the skin. In this case, children only need to cover their mouth, nose and eyes, and adults should not treat their head.
- The remedy for scabies mites is applied to the body in the evening with your hands, while the nails should be cut short, because the mite can penetrate under the nail plate. There is no need to wash your hands after this procedure.
- During treatment, itching may intensify. In this case, they are contraindicated, since they do not get rid of the cause of the disease, but can only aggravate the situation.
- During treatment there is no need to wash or change bed linen.
All those suffering from this disease are tormented by the same question: how to get rid of scabies mites and how long will the treatment take? IN modern world known large number remedies for the disease, which we will consider in more detail. But regardless of the method, the therapy process will take at least a week.
Scabies mite in humans. Treatment
In the pharmacy chain of any locality you can find a large number various means to combat this disease.
The most famous of them is sulfur ointment. Despite its pungent odor and side effect in the form of skin irritation, it is very effective. Apply against scabies mites for five days before going to bed. During this time, you cannot change bed linen or take a shower. Only after five days you need to wash your entire body with soap and boil your bed linen. The price is low, so the product is available to everyone without exception. It costs 20-30 rubles.
One more thing no less effective remedy- this is an aerosol "Spregal". This drug from a French manufacturer costs about a thousand rubles. One bottle is enough for five days. It is applied to the skin at intervals of twelve hours and is not washed off during treatment.
In Russia, the most popular remedy for this disease is the drug “Benzyl benzoate” (its price varies from 20 to 150 rubles, depending on the type). The cheapest, but less effective, is ointment. Benzyl benzoate emulsion and lotion are more expensive. The price of this drug is 150 rubles. But treatment with an emulsion or lotion is more effective.
What to do if a scabies mite is found on a person? Treatment can be carried out with Medifox concentrate. It will help get rid of the disease in four days. The concentrate is needed to prepare an aqueous emulsion. It is diluted in a warm boiled water. For 100 ml of liquid you need to pour a third of the Medifox bottle. Like other scabies remedies, this solution is applied to the skin once a day. After four days, you need to thoroughly wash and wash your clothes, and also boil your bed linen.
However folk remedies Treatments for the disease are practically as effective as medications.
Scabies mite in humans. Treatment with traditional medicine methods
Side effects
It is worth noting that you can use drugs or folk remedies only on the recommendation of a doctor, and in no case should you change the dosage, otherwise there is a high probability of side effects. These include:
- Allergic dermatitis. Frequent application of products to the skin or prolonged use of them can lead to this problem. Dermatitis is quite difficult to recognize. After all, its symptoms resemble scabies, and it simply seems that the remedies used are ineffective. But after changing the ointment or repeating the course of treatment, the itching begins to be felt even more acutely. The cause of such dermatitis may also be an allergic reaction to the drug. To diagnose this disease, you must consult a doctor. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, allergy pills, calcium supplements, or a zinc plate will be prescribed as treatment.
- Nodular scabies. It appears as blue blisters and is accompanied by severe itching. The reason for its appearance may be the sequential use of several drugs. To treat it, sulfur ointment is used together with hydrocortisone. Also, in parallel with this, an antiallergic drug is prescribed.
After you have cured the disease, you should not relax. After all, there is a high probability of re-infection. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to boil all things and bedding. Also, all family members who have contact with the patient should visit a dermatologist.
Conclusion
Now you know how to recognize such a nuisance as a scabies mite in humans. Symptoms and treatment of the disease are two very important topics. We examined them in detail in the article. We also described the types of disease and side effects that occur during the treatment of scabies.
Let's talk about scabies and how to get rid of the scabies mite that causes it. We decided to talk about it because some people mistakenly consider this illness to be a disease of “dysfunctional families.”
Unfortunately, today scabies is so common that anyone can become infected with it, regardless of age, social status and lifestyle.
Every year, 300 million cases of scabies are registered in the world and the same number are hidden under the guise of other diseases, since the cause of the disease is the scabies mite - a master of camouflage. It affects people by masquerading as eczema, allergies or dermatitis, causing similar skin rashes. Sometimes scabies can occur without skin manifestations. If a person washes frequently, he removes most of the scabies “population” from the body and the disease manifests itself as mild nighttime itching, which is attributed to unsettled nerves or allergies.
For those who are not comfortable with soap and water, the root cause of the disease is hidden behind its complications. Scratching on dirty skin is quickly “inhabited” by bacteria, and in their place a scattering of pustules, bloody crusts and long-lasting ulcers appear.
How does infection occur?
The disease is caused by a female tick that looks like a tiny toothy turtle. When it gets on the skin, it gnaws through the epidermis and hides under it. During the day, the female rests, and all night she digs tunnels, biting into the skin and leaving behind a spacious tunnel with several outlets, in each of which she lays eggs. In the breaks between work and laying eggs, the female actively feeds, eating what she has collected and not moving at a snail's pace. The movement of the tick irritates the nerve endings located in the skin and causes severe itching.
Which areas of the skin on the human body are most vulnerable?
The favorite places for ticks to “reside” are where the skin is most delicate: on the hands, near the armpits and groin areas. In these areas you can see scabies burrows. They look like a straight or curved line up to a centimeter long, dirty gray in color, slightly raised above the level of the skin. At one end, the female may be visible - a black dot visible through the epidermis. Scabies tunnels can be even more noticeable if you coat the mite habitats with iodine or brilliant green and remove excess with alcohol. The subcutaneous labyrinths are colored and look like strokes. In addition to scabies, the disease is characterized by the appearance of numerous rashes in the form of nodules or blisters in which larvae develop.
At the same time, there are always traces of scratching on the skin. They often become infected and become the cause of pustules, furunculosis, and streptoderma.
Can you get scabies from your pets?
Cats and dogs do not suffer from “human” scabies, but can become a source of scabies mites. The pathogen easily sticks to their fur and is transferred, for example, from the floor to bed linen, where a person is just a stone's throw away.
How to recognize the disease?
Material is also collected from rashes on the patient’s skin, inside which mite larvae are often found. You can examine the patient’s subungual contents under a microscope; there may also be mites that the person “scraped” from his skin.
What medications are used to treat scabies?
In order to avoid re-infection, all members of the family or other team must be treated at the same time. Any anti-scabies drug is applied to the entire skin except the neck, face and scalp. Rubbing in the ointment or cream is carried out only with the hands, on which the main forces of the “scabies army” are deployed. Smear yourself better in the evening before going to bed, since at night the activity of ticks increases many times.
Are there any special features in the treatment of “children’s” scabies?
In children, ticks can “occupy” the face, feet and palms, so the entire body must be smeared, including the face and scalp, avoiding getting the drugs into the eyes and mouth. To do this, it is recommended to put on gloves for the child after rubbing the medicine into the skin of the hands, and when using aerosols, cover the baby’s eyes and mouth with a clean napkin.
Is it possible to wash during treatment?
It is necessary to wash. A hot shower with a washcloth and soap removes mites and sebaceous secretions from the surface of the body, which prevents the ointment from penetrating deep into the skin. In addition, hot water helps loosen the epidermis and penetrate the medicine deeper, so it is better to smear after water procedures. The drug applied in the evening can be washed off every morning, but it must remain on the skin for at least 12 hours in a row.
How long does treatment take?
The course of treatment for scabies depends on medicine. Benzyl benzoate is applied to the skin for 3 days in a row; when treating with spregal, a single treatment is sufficient. The patient must strictly follow the instructions for use of the drug. In parallel with the treatment of the patient, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment scabies to all healthy individuals in the family and organized groups, otherwise the infection will be endless. Disinfection of clothes and belongings is also necessary. After completing the course of treatment, the bed linen is completely changed. It is boiled in a 2% soda solution or with any washing powder for 10 minutes from the moment of boiling.
Furniture, carpets, mattresses, pillows, shoes, toys must be treated with a disinfectant. For these purposes, there is a special aerosol preparation “A-par”. The patient's outer clothing is ironed on both sides, preferably with steaming. Raincoats, coats, fur coats, leather and suede products are hung out in the open air for at least 5 days in the warm season or for a day in the cold. The room is wet cleaned with a soda solution; door handles, surfaces of tables and chairs are also wiped with it.
Is it possible to treat scabies with folk remedies?
It relieves itching, improves skin nutrition, quickly clears ulcers and covers them with healthy skin. Hot, heavily salted bread kvass, in which the hands are held until the solution cools, is a good way to cope with itching. Folk anti-mite ointment also has antipruritic properties. It is prepared from birch tar mixed with rendered lard and grated laundry soap. All ingredients are taken in a tablespoon, whipped into a homogeneous mass and applied to the affected areas twice a day.
The high contagiousness of scabies in humans is explained by the short period of time during which the scabies mite is able to penetrate human skin. This period of time is 15-20 minutes.
At night, the female mite gnaws holes in the skin, and in the first half of the day lays eggs. Life cycle scabies mite – 2-8 weeks. Then the causative agent of scabies dies and decomposes in the laid passages. Outside of humans, the tick dies quite quickly. The activity of the scabies mite at night contributes to a high risk of infection for the entire family if the same bed is used.
In this article we will look at what scabies looks like in humans, its symptoms and the first signs in initial stage after tick infection. In addition, we will touch on the topic of how to treat scabies at home, and what medications can cope with the disease as quickly and effectively as possible.
How can you get scabies, and what is it?
Let's take a closer look at what it is. The causative agent of scabies in humans is a special scabies mite (a miniature insect that lives on the human skin), which easily tolerates low and high temperatures, is resistant to disinfection, and is hardy. Infection occurs through personal contact with the patient, his belongings, public places, sexually.
The female scabies mite acts as a carrier of infection. Settling under the skin, it begins to make subcutaneous passages and lay eggs there. After a few days, the eggs turn into larvae. They will stay in this form for a week and a half, after which they turn into an adult.
The disease is extremely contagious and incubation period lasts up to 14 days. A fleeting touch of the skin of a person affected by scabies is enough and you can become infected, but the treatment of scabies is long and unpleasant.
First signs
Let's note the first signs of scabies, which determine this disease. If these symptoms were detected, any dermatologist will make an accurate diagnosis with one hundred percent certainty:
The appearance of scabies - they look like a small whitish strip up to 1 cm long. Most often, the channels laid by mites are located on the stomach, buttocks, feet, in the armpits, on the palms and in the folds of the elbow. Disturbing itching, worse at night. This is explained by the increased activity of the female in the evening. Other family members developed rashes and characteristic itching after direct contact with an infected person.
Symptoms of scabies
The incubation period for scabies is 10-14 days. After this time, the tick larvae reach the state of adults and begin to reproduce. But when a person develops the first symptoms of scabies after infection is difficult to predict. This is influenced by the age of the ticks that entered the body and the speed at which they spread across the skin.
Scabies is characterized by itching, which intensifies at night, as well as paired nodular-vesicular rashes (see photo). The scabies burrows externally resemble thin strips, slightly protruding above the surface of the skin, which can run in a zigzag or straight line. Typically, a scabies mite ends in a white and transparent vesicle in which the body of the mite (white dot) can be seen. In rare cases, scabies burrows cannot be detected (this is the so-called scabies without burrows).
The most popular places where scabies mites are affected are the interdigital space, the abdomen, the sides of the body, the elbows, the mammary glands, buttocks, and genitals, mainly in men.
What scabies looks like: photo
We offer for viewing detailed photos to know exactly what scabies looks like in a person and what symptoms it leaves on the skin in the initial stage.
Diagnostics
Treatment of scabies in humans
Scabies never goes away spontaneously and can last for many months and years, sometimes worsening. To cure a patient with scabies, it is enough to destroy the mite and its eggs, which is easily achieved by using local remedies. Do not self-medicate or use folk remedies. Currently, a number of effective drugs to combat this disease. Contact a dermatologist and you will be prescribed adequate therapy.
In general, the following drugs are used to treat scabies at home:
- Benzyl benzoate. Treat with ointment or water-soap suspension skin within 2-5 days.
- Spreagel. The affected skin is treated with a spray for 3 days; if necessary, the course of treatment is repeated after 10 days.
- Sulfur ointment. Once a day, before going to bed, rub the ointment into the affected areas of the skin for 5-7 days.
- Permethrin. Use a cotton swab to lubricate the affected areas, treatment duration is 3 days.
- Lindan. The lotion is applied to the entire skin, the drug is left for 6 hours, applied once.
- Crotamiton. The affected surfaces are lubricated with cream 2 times a day for two days.
- Ivermectin. Damaged skin areas are treated with ointment once; if necessary, treatment is repeated after 14 days.
How to treat scabies effectively? Also, to achieve the best results at home, you must adhere to the following rules:
- When scabies is diagnosed, all members of the identified outbreak (family, children's group) undergo treatment.
- During treatment for scabies, patients should not wash or change bed linen.
- Clothing and other items with which the patient has been in contact are disinfected.
- Scabies treatments are applied to the entire body, not just the affected areas.
Scabies ointment must be rubbed into the skin with special care, avoiding the face and hair on the head. More attention should be paid to the space between the fingers and hands. The greatest localization of ticks is in these places. Scabies in children can develop into a purulent infection, so children are treated with both their face and scalp. Make sure that the scabies treatment does not get into the child’s mouth or eyes: this is important!
The prognosis for the treatment of scabies is favorable: if the disease is identified and therapy is organized in a timely manner, 100% of patients are cured.
Spregal
Aerosol preparations for the treatment of scabies are easier to use and their volume is sufficient to treat the patient and contact persons. Reviews from people about the disease scabies claim that it can be treated quite effectively with Spregal aerosol. It is sprayed 20-30 cm from the skin, leaving no free areas, after 12 hours the body and epidemiological site are sanitized. One application is enough, but for complicated forms of scabies it is recommended to repeat the procedure.
Benzyl benzoate
An effective, inexpensive and potent remedy for scabies. The duration of therapy is determined by the doctor depending on the severity of the disease. The minimum course is 2-3 days, repeat the treatment as recommended by a dermatologist.
Children need a 10% drug, adults need a 20% ointment. Before applying the product, wash yourself well and put on clean underwear. Before using the ointment, you should know that it causes a very strong burning sensation on the skin for 10-15 minutes, so do not apply too much of the drug at one time.
During pregnancy and lactation, the use of benzyl benzoate is prohibited.
Sulfur ointment (5-10%).
Currently in developed countries no longer used due to unpleasant odor, staining of clothing, irritation to skin and mucous membranes, percutaneous absorption with potential effects on the kidneys. However, in Africa and the poorest countries of the South. America sulfur ointment is still used due to its low cost.
Sulfur ointment is still prescribed in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Directions for use: adults 20% concentration, children 10%, rub the ointment over the entire skin daily at night for 5-7 days. On the sixth or eighth day, the patient washes and changes his underwear and bed linen.
How can you disinfect bedding and clothing without using chemicals with scabies? And if you boil individual household items, at what temperature will the scabies mite die?
Our expert's answer:
An important component of scabies treatment is disinfection measures. The result of therapy largely depends on this. Disinfection of underwear and bed linen, personal belongings of the patient and objects is carried out public use, on which a tick could remain:
- door handles;
- control panel;
- furniture;
- books, etc.
Disinfection is carried out daily and after recovery in two ways:
- Chemical, using special preparations.
- Mechanically, using high or low temperatures, ventilation.
Thermal disinfection
Boiling is carried out for 10 minutes because the larvae are more resistant to high temperatures than imago. Add washing powder or 1 tbsp. l. soda per liter of water.
Scabies also die in cold water if you add bleach (you can use “White”). Exposure time – 1 hour. This way you can disinfect plastic or ceramic objects.
If it is not possible to boil the laundry, then the washed items are ironed. Therefore, during illness, it is advisable to use bedding and personal clothing made of cotton fabrics. It should be noted that when visiting a sauna or bathhouse, the scabies mite on an infected person does not die.
As an alternative to boiling, you can use steaming. Use steam to disinfect items that cannot be boiled:
- blankets;
- mattresses;
- upholstered furniture;
- outerwear;
- indoor shoes.
Especially between the fingers.
Scabies was described by ancient Greek doctors.
But only after the invention of the microscope was it possible to discover and describe it.
This was done in 1867 by the Italians Giovani Cosimo Bonomo (doctor) and Diacinto Cestoni (pharmacist).
They were able to prove the relationship between microscopic mites and the symptoms of scabies.
A more reliable and complete description of the causes of scabies was made in 1844 by a dermatologist German doctor F. Gebra.
Habitat conditions for scabies mites
Signs of itching
The disease often becomes more complicated allergic reaction body, but in this case the cause of the itching may already be an allergy.
As a rule, the localization of the affected areas on the hands and itching are the main clinical signs scabies.
But symptoms and signs are not always characteristic.
There are cases with an atypical clinical picture: mild itching or its complete absence, uncharacteristic localization.
Such clinical symptoms may cause diagnostic error. For staging accurate diagnosis laboratory tests are required.
The human scabies mite is almost oval round shape, four short segmented legs and long, sparsely located thin villi on the body.
Such structural features allow us to say with confidence that there is an infection with the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei.
This scabies mite can occur quite often in humans, especially in crowded places (schools, camps, dormitories) and where the rules of personal and public hygiene are not observed.
Therefore, prevention is an effective measure that can significantly reduce the likelihood of infection.
At what temperature do scabies mites die?
Common preventive measures are:
- regular hand washing;
- avoiding contact with infected people and animals;
- heat treatment of bed linen.
For proper heat treatment, you need to know at what temperature the scabies mite dies.
IN hot water(+60°C) mites die within an hour, at higher temperatures, for example, when boiling, they die immediately.
That's why effective prevention Scabies can be prevented by regular hand washing, washing clothes in hot water, and ironing them.
Hot ironing and steaming on both sides- this is an almost one hundred percent guarantee that the scabies mite, if present, will be destroyed.
At room temperature, ticks outside the human body die within a few days.
This explains the preferential transmission of infection by contact (90% of cases).
And only occasionally can infection be transmitted indirectly, through objects.
How to avoid getting scabies
Transmission occurs through household means, more often through direct contact (for example, through a handshake).
A way to prevent scabies is compliance with hygiene rules, such as regular hand washing, maintaining cleanliness in the premises, washing clothes in hot water (as we know, not lower than plus 60 degrees) and ironing.