Mange in Humans

Mange is a skin disorder found in many mammals including humans. Sarcoptic mange in humans is known as scabies. Sarcoptic mange is caused by the small, wingless insects referred to as mites and the scientific name of these microscopic parasites is sarcoptes scabiei. The mites stay on the upper layer of the skin of an infected individual, they burrow beneath the skin and lay eggs in the burrow. Mites can burrow up to 3 cm and feed on the human skin and on the hair follicle secretion. The act of burrowing the skin causes irritation and itching which becomes severe over time. The mites live on the host for the entire life cycle, which ends in 10-17 days.

The life cycle of mites - The female mite after mating starts burrowing under the skin and lays eggs in the burrow, at the rate of 2-3 times per day. The larvae come out of the egg 3-4 days after they have been laid. Now, the larvae move out of the burrow and find a suitable shelter beneath the hair follicles and stay there for 4-6 days. After completing all the molts, the larvae turn into adult mites in 10-17 days. Later, they shift to the upper layer of the skin, mate with the opposite sex and start their life cycle all over again.

Mange in humans is highly contagious and is transmitted through close contact. The 'crusted scabies' which is a severe form of the mange in humans, is transmitted between two individuals even if they are not in direct contact. It can easily be transmitted through the infected person's bedding or clothing.

Mange in Humans: Symptoms

The symptoms of mange in humans are tiny bites on the skin (hard to see), red bumps like pimples and itching. These symptoms become severe at night. Babies experience itching in their head and neck and children experience itching on their scalps, feet soles and palms. The red scabies rash occurs in the warm and humid folds of the body such as wrists, elbows, space between the fingers, armpits, chest, under the breasts, shoulders, along the waist line, buttocks, inner thighs and the genital areas. The symptoms cannot be seen, if he has not had scabies before. But, if the person is re-infected, the symptoms may appear in 1-4 days of the new infection.

The symptoms are more severe in the other form of scabies known as 'crusted scabies'. They are also called 'Norwegian scabies', because the condition was first described in Norway in the mid 19th century. In this form of scabies, crusts or scales form on the skin, hiding thousands of live mites and eggs which makes the treatment difficult. It commonly occurs in people with a weak immune system such as AIDS patients, the elderly or the mentally and physically disabled ones.

Mange in Humans: Treatment

The medicines for mange can be best prescribed by your doctor. It would be a scabicide lotion, which is applied to the whole body, left for the recommended period of time and then washed with water. Apart from the medicines, there are certain precautions to be taken in order to avoid re-infecting yourself or your family. Some of them are:

• Use medications as prescribed by the doctor.
• Cut your nails and clean them to remove mites and its eggs.
• Avoid scratching the affected area.
• Use hot water to wash all your clothes, towels and bed linen, that are in regular use.
• As the mites can survive on non living objects like stuffed toys, seal them in a bag for a week.
• Use a vacuum cleaner to clean your carpet, furniture and the car interiors as the mites or the eggs might be present there.
• Follow up with your doctor to ensure that the treatment was successful.

If a person is known to have scabies, he should avoid close contact with the others, until completely treated. It is important for the patient's family members, to be treated simultaneously to avoid re-infection. More on Cures for scabies. Mange in humans is curable as scabies mites cannot live long on the human body. Maintaining cleanliness is the best way to fight mange in humans.