Life Cycle of Scabiei
Sarcoptes scabei, commonly called the scabies mite, produces sarcoptic mange in dogs and certain mammals. In humans, the sarcoptes scabei produces the unpleasant skin disorder scabies. The burrowing of the mite into the skin's surface causes irritation, itching and painful septic pustules. Mites go through four stages during their life. The mite's entire life is spent on the skin of the host. They are highly contagious.
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Mating and Life Span
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The male sarcoptes scabei mates with the female once before dying. The copulation occurs on the host's skin surface. The male mite will live only 10 to 13 days, and the female will live 9 to 13 days, according to U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Eggs
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Once mating occurs, the female mite will burrow into the skin's stratum corneum surface. As the female burrows, she creates pockets that appear like a honeycomb labyrinth. She will deposit eggs in each pocket as she burrows along.
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Food Source and Death
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As the female burrows she will feed on the clear components of the host's blood known as "serum." The serum produced in the pockets are the body's natural response to the irritation. The body oozes serum in an effort to rid itself of the mite, but she simply utilizes the substance as a valuable food source. Once her eggs are laid, she dies in one of the pouches and decomposes within the pouch to be absorbed by the skin. The male usually perishes on the skin's surface and falls to the ground.
Larvae and Nymph
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The eggs incubate in three to eight days, then hatch as larvae. The larvae have only three legs. After two or three days before, they molt into a nymph. The nymph has four legs, which gives it more mobility and allows it to leave its pouch to travel along the skin's surface. The nymph molts into an adult in two or three more days.
Treatment
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Dogs and cats infected with sarcoptes scabei mites are easily treated using a medicated anti-seborrheic shampoo and parasiticidal dip. The dips should be used once a week for a month. A veterinarian may also use injectable or oral ivermectin to treat seriously infected dogs. Humans infected with the mite normally exhibit symptoms for two weeks, but their immune system usually cures the infestation. In poor, undeveloped countries where personal hygiene is lacking, the mite often proves to be a serious human disorder. On humans the mites are commonly seen between the fingers and on the wrists.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Black Dog image by Margie Peters from Fotolia.com
