Understanding the real causes of scabies
Scabies is a skin condition caused by parasitic microorganisms that burrow into the skin producing itch, rash and inflammation. There are many types of mites that produce scabies in beings but only one type can infest people. The other types of mites can produce temporary affection to humans but cannot infest them. This type of mites, that can affect human beings are called Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis. The condition created by those mites, scabies, is highly contagious, being able to spread from one infested person to many others through either direct physical contact or indirect contact, with contaminated objects.
Some people funded erroneous conceptions relating the scabies to low personal hygiene or unhealthy lifestyle. This is not true, any person can be affected by this condition, regardless the age or gender. The higher incidence of scabies encountered in children is based on the permanent contact with other children in schools, kindergartens or playgrounds and in elderly people based on their limited freedom of movement to keep away from other infested people or contaminated objects. Another important way of spreading this mite is the sexual contact because the mites populate the genital area.
The scabies mites can infest anyone regardless the differences between the human beings. Because of this, the scabies affliction cannot be prevented or stopped. After a body is infested with the scabies mites, the female mites burrow into the skin layers and lay their eggs. It only takes a few days for the larvae to hatch from the eggs and start their way to the surface of the skin where they develop and mature hiding in the superficial layers of the human skin. The scabies is caused by the allergic reactions of the human body to the toxic elements contained by the mites' saliva (the mites feed on blood and release toxic saliva through their bites), feces, eggs and larvae, which are not tolerated by the human body, and not by the mites themselves. The reactions manifest through inflammation, pustules, blisters and rash.
The treatments for scabies consist in creams, lotions and gels for external use that are applied on the infested areas of the skin, killing the mites within a few days. It is important for the treatment to be applied as soon as possible because if the condition is not treated fast, it can worsen and facilitate other infections, leading to complications. The scabies condition cannot be prevented but through the help of medicines it can be easily eradicated.
Crusted scabies is produced by the infestation with a very high number of mites. The scabies mites have a short period of incubation and can reproduce very fast causing thus the crusted scabies. In the case of crusted scabies, the skin develops bruises and becomes very thick. People should pay attention to the signs of scabies and get an appropriate treatment as soon as possible because, if not treated in time, scabies may produce complications like impetigo (bacterial infection).