Sunday, 12 February 2012

What Is The Cause of Scabies?

he cause of scabies is a parasite referred to as Sarcoptes scabiei or commonly called the itch mite.
Problems begin for the human host when a female itch mite finds her way onto the skin then burrows down creating tiny tunnels.
The male of the species then begins moving between these minute tunnels and mates with unfertilized adult females.Once the male mite has completed this task his usefulness comes to an end and he dies. Meanwhile, the fertilised female begins to lay her eggs in the burrows she has created.
Within three to four days the eggs hatch.
It will take a further ten to fifteen days for the young to evolve into adults, this only happens once they have made their way to the skins surface.
These recently matured females will then also start to burrow into the skin (the most common areas being the feet, hands, ankles, waist, nipple, genitals and the back of the elbows) while the males stay on the surface ready to begin their task of fertilization and the whole reproductive process begins again.
This cycle will continue relentlessly causing the victim more misery as time goes on unless it is brought to a halt with suitable treatment.
Washing and scrubbing the skin will not remove the parasites. The cause of scabies itch is thought to be caused by an allergic reaction caused by the parasites not to mention their poo, eggs and saliva being present in the body.
What might cause scabies to spread?
For an infestation to spread there needs to be prolonged direct, skin to skin contact between two people. This is because the mites are unable to leap or fly they can merely crawl from victim to victim. Therefore scabies is often spread by sexual encounters
It has to be said however, that simply giving an affected person a brief hug or shaking hands is unlikely to lead to mites transferring from one to the other.
Itch mites do have need of a human host both for warmth and food nevertheless, it is possible for them to stay alive on cast aside clothes, bed linen and so on for anything up to thirty six hours. Therefore sharing or coming into contact with infected items such as those mentioned can cause scabies to spread.
The most significant reason for scabies infestations spreading rapidly is often due to the fact that it takes around 2-3 weeks after the primary infestation for the symptoms of a rash and itching to begin. Therefore, the scabies victim during that time is highly contagious but totally unaware. This can cause large outbreaks, particularly in situations where people are living or working together in close proximity for example care homes and schools.
Scabies mites do not have any preference as to who they infest. Anyone can pick up scabies regardless how good or bad your own personal and home hygiene is.
Knowing the cause of scabies can help prevent its spread among your family and friends.
To find out more about natural treatments and remedies for scabies take a look at NaturalTreatmentForScabies.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mags_Sno

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