Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Treatment
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Causes of Mange
While there are several different varieties of mites, the two that are typically responsible for mange in humans are:
Here’s how each type affects human health.
Can Humans Get Ear Mites From a Pet?
Sarcoptes Scabiei
This means that although scabies isn’t confined to a particular geographic region, race, or class, it flourishes under crowded conditions involving close body contact. It is especially common in institutions like nursing homes, extended-care facilities, and prisons.
Scabies mites burrow into human skin, creating tunnels at least one centimeter in length, just below the surface, when they subsequently lay their eggs while feeding on human skin and secretions. In fact, the entire duration of a scabies mite’s life—typically between 10-17 days—is spent on their human host. Without the human food source, scabies mites would likely only live for a few days. The burrowing and egg-laying are what cause scabies (the condition), which, in previously unexposed people, may go unnoticed for more than a month.
Demodex Folliculorum
Demodex folliculorumis one of two types ofDemodex mites(Demodex brevisis the other) that live in or near hair follicles of mammals. Both species are found on humans, butDemodex folliculorumis the type of mite responsible for a human skin condition known as demodicosis.
Humans typically don’t know when either type of Demodex mite is living on their skin, except whenDemodex folliculorummites are present in high densities on a person with an immune system imbalance and are transferred between hosts through contact involving hair, eyebrows, and/or sebaceous glands on the nose.
Once Demodex mites are attached to a human body, they mate in the person’s follicle opening, and the female lays eggs inside the hair follicles or sebaceous glands. Once hatched, the mites typically have a 14-day life cycle, at the end of which they die, and then decompose inside the hair follicles or sebaceous glands. The presence of Demodex mites results in a skin condition known as demodicosis.
Symptoms of Mange
Scabies
Even though it can take as long as a month for a person to realize they have scabies, the symptoms tend to hit hard and all at once, including severe irritation and itching—especially at night.In addition to intense itching (pruritus), the othercommon symptom of scabiesis a pimple-like (papular) rash. The tricky part is that the scabies rash and lesions can also look very similar to other skin conditions, like dermatitis, eczema, contact dermatitis, fungal infections, and insect bites.
Scabies rashes and lesions can be found essentially anywhere on the human body, but are most frequently found:
In infants and immunocompromised persons, scabies may also turn up on the head, face, neck, palms, and soles of the feet—although these locations are not as common in healthy adults with the condition.
The little tunnels that mites burrow under human skin can also be visible in certain parts of the body, including on webbing between the fingers, in the skin folds on the wrist, elbow, or knee, and on the penis, breast, or shoulder blades.
Demodicosis
Demodicosis can present in many different forms, includingrosacea,dermatitis, andalopecia. It is most commonly found on the face, including the cheeks, nose, chin, forehead, temples, eyelashes, brows, scalp, neck, and ears. Less frequently, demodicosis may be located around a person’s eyes, or in/on their back, chest, penis, mons pubis, buttocks, and/or labial folds. The most notable symptom is sometype of rash, which can be itchy, dry, swollen, and reddish in color, and/or cause the skin to blister, ooze, crust, or flake off.
Treatment for Mange
Each form of mange also has its own treatments and prevention strategies.
When a person getsscabies, there are two necessary steps: Decontamination and medication. If the person with scabies doesn’t live alone, the other members of their household also need to be treated for the condition—especially those who have had prolonged direct skin-to-skin contact with the infested person, including (but not limited to) sexual activity.
Currently, there are no over-the-countermedications that kill scabies mites, which are called scabicides. This means you’ll have to consult your healthcare provider in order to get a prescription for a scabicide that works. Once you have the medication, be sure to follow the instructions on the label carefully, and ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you have any questions.
If you do end up with demodicosis, your healthcare provider may recommend:
A Word From Verywell
If you’ve made it this far in the post, there’s a good chance that you’ve been scratching yourself just reading about mange in humans. No, mange in any form isn’t a good time. But it’s also not a consequence of doing something “wrong,” and therefore shouldn’t be stigmatized. Any human being has the potential to get mange—something to keep in mind if you or someone you know ends up with scabies or demodicosis.
5 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.Bandi KM.Sarcoptic mange: a zoonotic ectoparasitic skin disease.JCDR.2013; 7(1), 156-157. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2012/4839.2694Illinois Department of Public Health.Mites affecting humans.Rather PA, Hassan I.Human demodex mite: the versatile mite of dermatological importance.Indian Journal of Dermatology. 2014;59(1):60. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.123498.Illinois Department of Public Health.Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies - treatment.
5 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.Bandi KM.Sarcoptic mange: a zoonotic ectoparasitic skin disease.JCDR.2013; 7(1), 156-157. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2012/4839.2694Illinois Department of Public Health.Mites affecting humans.Rather PA, Hassan I.Human demodex mite: the versatile mite of dermatological importance.Indian Journal of Dermatology. 2014;59(1):60. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.123498.Illinois Department of Public Health.Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies - treatment.
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.
Bandi KM.Sarcoptic mange: a zoonotic ectoparasitic skin disease.JCDR.2013; 7(1), 156-157. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2012/4839.2694Illinois Department of Public Health.Mites affecting humans.Rather PA, Hassan I.Human demodex mite: the versatile mite of dermatological importance.Indian Journal of Dermatology. 2014;59(1):60. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.123498.Illinois Department of Public Health.Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies - treatment.
Bandi KM.Sarcoptic mange: a zoonotic ectoparasitic skin disease.JCDR.2013; 7(1), 156-157. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2012/4839.2694
Illinois Department of Public Health.Mites affecting humans.
Rather PA, Hassan I.Human demodex mite: the versatile mite of dermatological importance.Indian Journal of Dermatology. 2014;59(1):60. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.123498.
Illinois Department of Public Health.Scabies.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies - treatment.
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