Scabies is an itchy rash due to mites that live under your skin. Topical or oral prescription medications treat it. It spreads through direct contact.

Understanding the Context

See scabies skin rashes, symptoms (night itching), treatments, and home care in this WebMD slideshow. Pictures show the itch mite, how it spreads, who gets scabies, and how to get rid of it. Scabies is an itchy skin condition caused by the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabei. Common all over the world and can affect anyone, learn treatments.

Key Insights

Scabies is caused by the human itch mite (Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis). The microscopic scabies mite burrows into the upper layer of the skin where it lives and lays its eggs. Scabies can spread quickly under crowded conditions where close body and skin contact is frequent. Scabies is a skin rash.

Final Thoughts

A tiny mite called Sarcoptes scabiei causes it. The mite burrows into the skin, causing intense itching. The need to scratch may be stronger at night. Scabies can spread through close, long-term person-to-person contact. The mites in crusted scabies are not more virulent than in noncrusted scabies but are much more numerous, sometimes up to two million. People with crusted scabies exhibit scaly rashes, slight itching, and thick crusts of skin that contain large numbers of scabies mites.

Scabies is a highly contagious skin infestation that usually spreads by direct skin contact. Learn how to identify and treat scabies. Scabies is a very itchy rash caused by a parasitic mite that burrows in the skin surface. Scabies is usually spread by skin-to-skin contact.