The life cycle of the scabies mite
Scabies is caused by the human parasite known as sarcoptes sabiei. An infestation starts when a female mite burrows into your skin. The mite can burrow into your skin within 30 minutes.
Male mites move between different burrow sites looking to mate with an unfertilised female. Once mating has taken place, the male mite dies and the female mite begins to lay eggs, which will hatch in approximately 3-4 days. The eggs take 10-15 days to grow into adult males, or females.
Without effective treatment this life cycle can continue indefinitely. Scabies mites are resistant to soap and hot water, and they cannot be scrubbed out of the skin.
The exact cause of the intense itchiness that is associated with scabies is unknown, but most experts believe that the itchiness is caused by the immune system reacting to the mites, and their saliva, eggs, and faeces.
How scabies is transmitted
Scabies mites cannot fly, or jump, so they can only move from one human body to another if two people have direct and prolonged physical contact. For example:
- prolonged hand holding,
- sexual intercourse, or
- sharing a bed.
Transmission by brief and limited physical contact, such as a handshake, or a hug, is unlikely.
Scabies mites can survive outside the human body for between 24-36 hours, so it is possible to become infested by coming into contact with contaminated clothes, or bed linen. However, this is a far less common way of acquiring the condition.
Scabies infestations can quickly spread because people are usually unaware that they have the condition until 2-6 weeks after the initial infection has taken place. In confined environments, such as schools, or nursing homes, where people are in close proximity to one another, there is an increased risk of catching scabies.
People often regard scabies as a condition that results from poor personal hygiene and living conditions, but there is no evidence that this is the case. Scabies can affect people from all walks of life.
