Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSelf-ExamVisual ExamMicroscopic ExamInk TestPCR TestSkin BiopsyOther CausesNext in Scabies GuideHow Scabies Is Treated
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Self-Exam
Visual Exam
Microscopic Exam
Ink Test
PCR Test
Skin Biopsy
Other Causes
Next in Scabies Guide
Scabies is commonly diagnosed based on symptoms and exposure history.
Lab tests sometimes confirm a scabies diagnosis or rule out other conditions. Most of the time, though,scabies' distinct symptoms(severe itching and rash) make diagnosing it reasonably simple on sight.
Scabies can spread rapidly through a household through skin-to-skin contact (including sex) or infested furniture and linens. If one person has scabies, everyone should be treated.
This article discusses scabies diagnosis. It explains how to test yourself for scabies at home and different tests your doctor may order before making a diagnosis.
How Can I Check Myself For Scabies?
The first step in the diagnosis of scabies is recognizing it at home.
If you notice any of the signs or symptoms of scabies, even without having known exposure to the infection, see your healthcare provider. Look for:
Your healthcare provider may rely on their judgment of your signs and symptoms, your medical history, and your history of exposure to diagnose scabies.
While scabies cannot be seen with the naked eye, your healthcare provider may use a special instrument called adermatoscopeto check for scabies.This device magnifies and illuminates skin, making it translucent, so mites and even their eggs are visible.
If someone you’re in close contact with has scabies, you may receive treatment even if you’re not diagnosed with it.
In some cases, your healthcare provider may order diagnostic tests to confirm scabies or rule out other conditions.
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Microscopic Examination
Your healthcare provider might place a drop of mineral oil on a burrow, take a scraping, and examine the sample under a microscope to look for the mites or their eggs.
It is not always possible to see mites in a scraping; it depends on how many of them are present near the surface of your skin. Sometimes, scratching can destroy the burrow, making it more challenging to locate the mite on the skin.
Diagnosing scabies with 100% certainty is not required for treatment.
The ink test is considered positive if a wavy ink-filled line is visible below the skin surface, which indicates where the mite has tunneled.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Test
A scraping of skin is used for the PCR test, an advanced genetic test that can identify material from even a small part of the parasite’s body.
This test, which has been used for other conditions, is only recently being studied for scabies. So far, PCR for scabies shows promise in research studies, but it is not widely available at this time.
Sometimes a skin biopsy may be used to diagnose or confirm a diagnosis of scabies. This procedure involves examining a small sample of skin tissue under a microscope. A skin biopsy may show mites, eggs, larvae, or mite fecal matter.
However, a skin biopsy is rarely necessary. It is often reserved for difficult or atypical cases.
What Other Skin Conditions Could It Be?
When scabies is misdiagnosed as another rash and untreated, the mite has a greater chance of spreading and affecting more people, as it can complete its life cycle and find new hosts.
Scabies often looks like otheritchy rashes, most of which are not contagious.
These are the most common causes of a skin rash that looks like scabies:
How Scabies Is Treated
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How scabies spreads.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms.American Academy of Dermatology.Scabies: signs and symptoms.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Scabies.Marghoob AA, Usatine RP, Jaimes N.Dermoscopy for the family physician.Am Fam Physician. 2013;88(7):441-450.Hardy M, Engelman D, Steer A.Scabies: A clinical update.Aust Fam Physician. 2017;46(5):264-268.Del Barrio-Díaz P, Vera-Kellet C.The Burrow Ink Test: a Simple Method to Improve the Diagnosis of Scabies.J Gen Intern Med. 2022. doi:10.1007/s11606-020-06522-6Delaunay P, Hérissé AL, Hasseine L, et al.Scabies polymerase chain reaction with standardized dry swab sampling: an easy tool for cluster diagnosis of human scabies. Br J Dermatol. 2019; doi:+10.1111/bjd.18017Siddig EE, Hay R.Laboratory-based diagnosis of scabies: a review of the current status.Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2022;116(1):4-9. doi:10.1093/trstmh/trab049Additional ReadingHewitt KA, Nalabanda A, Cassell JA.Scabies outbreaks in residential care homes: factors associated with late recognition, burden and impact. A mixed methods study in England. Epidemiol Infect. 2015 May;143(7):1542-51. doi: 10.1017/S0950268814002143. Epub.Angelone-Alasaad S, Molinar Min A, Pasquetti M. et al.Universal conventional and real-time PCR diagnosis tools for Sarcoptes scabiei. Parasit Vectors. 2015 Nov 14;8:587. doi: 10.1186/s13071-015-1204-8.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How scabies spreads.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms.American Academy of Dermatology.Scabies: signs and symptoms.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Scabies.Marghoob AA, Usatine RP, Jaimes N.Dermoscopy for the family physician.Am Fam Physician. 2013;88(7):441-450.Hardy M, Engelman D, Steer A.Scabies: A clinical update.Aust Fam Physician. 2017;46(5):264-268.Del Barrio-Díaz P, Vera-Kellet C.The Burrow Ink Test: a Simple Method to Improve the Diagnosis of Scabies.J Gen Intern Med. 2022. doi:10.1007/s11606-020-06522-6Delaunay P, Hérissé AL, Hasseine L, et al.Scabies polymerase chain reaction with standardized dry swab sampling: an easy tool for cluster diagnosis of human scabies. Br J Dermatol. 2019; doi:+10.1111/bjd.18017Siddig EE, Hay R.Laboratory-based diagnosis of scabies: a review of the current status.Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2022;116(1):4-9. doi:10.1093/trstmh/trab049Additional ReadingHewitt KA, Nalabanda A, Cassell JA.Scabies outbreaks in residential care homes: factors associated with late recognition, burden and impact. A mixed methods study in England. Epidemiol Infect. 2015 May;143(7):1542-51. doi: 10.1017/S0950268814002143. Epub.Angelone-Alasaad S, Molinar Min A, Pasquetti M. et al.Universal conventional and real-time PCR diagnosis tools for Sarcoptes scabiei. Parasit Vectors. 2015 Nov 14;8:587. doi: 10.1186/s13071-015-1204-8.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How scabies spreads.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms.American Academy of Dermatology.Scabies: signs and symptoms.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Scabies.Marghoob AA, Usatine RP, Jaimes N.Dermoscopy for the family physician.Am Fam Physician. 2013;88(7):441-450.Hardy M, Engelman D, Steer A.Scabies: A clinical update.Aust Fam Physician. 2017;46(5):264-268.Del Barrio-Díaz P, Vera-Kellet C.The Burrow Ink Test: a Simple Method to Improve the Diagnosis of Scabies.J Gen Intern Med. 2022. doi:10.1007/s11606-020-06522-6Delaunay P, Hérissé AL, Hasseine L, et al.Scabies polymerase chain reaction with standardized dry swab sampling: an easy tool for cluster diagnosis of human scabies. Br J Dermatol. 2019; doi:+10.1111/bjd.18017Siddig EE, Hay R.Laboratory-based diagnosis of scabies: a review of the current status.Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2022;116(1):4-9. doi:10.1093/trstmh/trab049
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How scabies spreads.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms.
American Academy of Dermatology.Scabies: signs and symptoms.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Scabies.
Marghoob AA, Usatine RP, Jaimes N.Dermoscopy for the family physician.Am Fam Physician. 2013;88(7):441-450.
Hardy M, Engelman D, Steer A.Scabies: A clinical update.Aust Fam Physician. 2017;46(5):264-268.
Del Barrio-Díaz P, Vera-Kellet C.The Burrow Ink Test: a Simple Method to Improve the Diagnosis of Scabies.J Gen Intern Med. 2022. doi:10.1007/s11606-020-06522-6
Delaunay P, Hérissé AL, Hasseine L, et al.Scabies polymerase chain reaction with standardized dry swab sampling: an easy tool for cluster diagnosis of human scabies. Br J Dermatol. 2019; doi:+10.1111/bjd.18017
Siddig EE, Hay R.Laboratory-based diagnosis of scabies: a review of the current status.Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2022;116(1):4-9. doi:10.1093/trstmh/trab049
Hewitt KA, Nalabanda A, Cassell JA.Scabies outbreaks in residential care homes: factors associated with late recognition, burden and impact. A mixed methods study in England. Epidemiol Infect. 2015 May;143(7):1542-51. doi: 10.1017/S0950268814002143. Epub.Angelone-Alasaad S, Molinar Min A, Pasquetti M. et al.Universal conventional and real-time PCR diagnosis tools for Sarcoptes scabiei. Parasit Vectors. 2015 Nov 14;8:587. doi: 10.1186/s13071-015-1204-8.
Hewitt KA, Nalabanda A, Cassell JA.Scabies outbreaks in residential care homes: factors associated with late recognition, burden and impact. A mixed methods study in England. Epidemiol Infect. 2015 May;143(7):1542-51. doi: 10.1017/S0950268814002143. Epub.
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