This Body Odd article begins with Nina Bradica’s bird mites story, and reminds us that bird mites are a rare occurrence.
While bird mite infestations in humans are rare, they do happen, says Dr. Richard Zack, associate professor and chair of the department of entomology at Washington State University. The most common infestations occur in people who work in the bird and poultry industry, but the creatures will flock to anybody if the circumstances are right.
“Nesting birds or small mammals carry their own set of parasites and although those parasites don’t normally feed or interfere with humans, if something happens to the mice or the birds that are nesting in your house, the parasites will look for an alternative food source,” he says. Unfortunately, that alternative food source can be you.”
The article also mentions head lice, body lice, follicular mites, bed bugs, scabies, and more.
Scabies occurs when the Sarcoptes scabiei mite burrows under your skin.
This photo shows someone with scabies on her hand, after six days’ development:
According to the CDC’s page on scabies, the symptoms are:
- Pimple-like irritations, burrows or rash of the skin, especially the webbing between the fingers; the skin folds on the wrist, elbow, or knee; the penis, the breast, or shoulder blades.
- Intense itching, especially at night and over most of the body.
- Sores on the body caused by scratching. These sores can sometimes become infected with bacteria.
Scabies can take 4-6 weeks to appear after exposure. You can catch scabies by prolonged skin-to-skin contact with others, or by sharing items that touch the skin, like towels, unwashed clothing, and sheets. (The CDC website says it is not commonly caught via a handshake or a hug.)
If you think you have scabies, do not try to treat it on your own. See a doctor.
Sometimes other conditions (like bed bug bites) can be mistaken for scabies, even by a doctor.
It’s a good idea to ask your doctor to confirm the presence of scabies, by doing a skin scraping. But remember, even a negative result from the scraping does not mean you do not have scabies.
If you do have scabies, you need to be treated with a prescription medication. One treatment usually works, but if not, the doctor will want you to repeat it or try another lotion. In order to make sure you don’t get it again from your clothing and sheets, you will also need to wash and dry all worn clothing and bedding on hot.
Photos of scabies on skin from the University of Iowa Hardin MD site.
Here’s a page on scabies (La sarna) in Spanish.
Scabies mites look like the following picture, but of course, you won’t be able to see them.
Scabies, by MacAllen Brothers (Micah MacAllen). Used under a Creative Commons Attibution/Share-Alike license.
