Article: SCABIES NEEDS REPEAT TREATMENT.(LIVING)

Byline: Dr. Peter Gott

DEAR DR. GOTT: My elderly aunt, who is in a nursing home, was recently diagnosed with scabies. What is this skin condition, and why did it fail to respond to treatment?

DEAR READER: Scabies, caused by the 'itch mite,' is a skin disorder marked by a rash and severe itching, especially at night. The condition is common in children and in institutionalized adults.

The adult scabies mite burrows into the outer skin layer and lays two or three eggs a day. These eggs hatch in about four days. The larvae then migrate to the skin surface, where they mature in two weeks, mate and continue the life cycle. The burrows and surrounding ...

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