Parasite
Sarcoptes scabiei
Burrowing mite that causes scabies
sar-KOP-teez SKAY-bee-eye
High-yield clue
Intense itching worse at night with thin burrow tracks in web spaces is the classic scabies clue.
Overview
A microscopic mite (arthropod ectoparasite) that burrows into the epidermis and lays eggs, producing scabies with intense itching. It matters as the classic burrowing skin ectoparasite of microbiology coursework.
Classification
- Arthropod ectoparasite
- Arachnid mite
- Eight-legged adult
- Epidermal burrower
Lab & identification clues
- Skin-scraping mineral-oil prep vocabulary
- Mite, eggs, or fecal pellets (scybala) on microscopy
- Burrow-track surface feature
- Dermoscopy 'delta-wing' mite sign concept
Associations
- Skin-to-skin close-contact transmission
- Crusted (Norwegian) scabies in immunocompromised
- Web-space/wrist/waist distribution vocabulary
- Household/crowding outbreak epidemiology
Commonly confused with
- Pediculus (lice)
- Allergic dermatitis
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.