Sarcoptic Mange

[ryelle]

I do not know where to post this, so feel free to move

I have just heard that the farm that i do work placement at has an outbreak of Sarcoptic Mange on the piglets that i work with (the donkeys also have a really bad case of mites but i dont think i need to worry).

Should i be as freaked out about hearing this as i am? I know it is highly contagious, what are the chances of me bringing this home to my pets and my brothers dog if i go to work there?

The pigs have been scratching each other for absolute weeks and the vet has only just discovered sarcoptic mange :wallbang:

 

[lilspaz68]

I beleive the sarcoptic mange a rat can get is different
http://ratguide.com/health/integumentar ... asites.php

Its not as rare as it used to be but still is relatively rare
http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ecto ... gure_2.php

Demodex spp., and Notoedres muris (a sarcoptid-like mite), both transmit mange. Deomodex spp. can be found anywhere on the skin but are primarily found on hair follicles and sebaceous glands of the ears. Notoedres muris (also termed the ear mange mite) burrows into skin, and presents as yellowish crusty appearing warts on edges of ears and nose, or can appear on other extremities as reddened bumps. Both of these are not often seen in the domestic pet rat.

Sarcoptes scabiei varieties while not host-specific per se do possess some host specific preference and physiologic differences do exist between varieties. Rats can be infested with a variety of sarcoptes mite; however, they do not give their owners their type of mange. Human infestation is with a different variety of scabies mite than what is found on animals’.
Should your pet rat be infested with a sarcoptic mite and have close contact with you, it can get under your skin and cause itching and skin irritation. However, the mite dies in a couple of days and does not reproduce. They may cause you to itch for several days, but you do not need to be treated with special medication to kill them. Until your rat is treated effectively and its environment cleaned continued infestation will be a source of discomfort for your rat and an annoyance to you. For more information on scabies in humans see The CDC Fact Sheet.

 

[ryelle]

i am rather annoyed at my friends laid back approach to all this

Im pretty sure my rats won't get it, but i am going crazy disinfecting my work boots and boiling my overalls. these are the same ones that me and my friend wear to the farm and also to college. grrr

 

[Avatar]

I beleive the sarcoptic mange a rat can get is different
http://ratguide.com/health/integumentar ... asites.php

Its not as rare as it used to be but still is relatively rare
http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ecto ... gure_2.php

Demodex spp., and Notoedres muris (a sarcoptid-like mite), both transmit mange. Deomodex spp. can be found anywhere on the skin but are primarily found on hair follicles and sebaceous glands of the ears. Notoedres muris (also termed the ear mange mite) burrows into skin, and presents as yellowish crusty appearing warts on edges of ears and nose, or can appear on other extremities as reddened bumps. Both of these are not often seen in the domestic pet rat.

Sarcoptes scabiei varieties while not host-specific per se do possess some host specific preference and physiologic differences do exist between varieties. Rats can be infested with a variety of sarcoptes mite; however, they do not give their owners their type of mange. Human infestation is with a different variety of scabies mite than what is found on animals’.
Should your pet rat be infested with a sarcoptic mite and have close contact with you, it can get under your skin and cause itching and skin irritation. However, the mite dies in a couple of days and does not reproduce. They may cause you to itch for several days, but you do not need to be treated with special medication to kill them. Until your rat is treated effectively and its environment cleaned continued infestation will be a source of discomfort for your rat and an annoyance to you. For more information on scabies in humans see The CDC Fact Sheet.

That information is all actually pretty darned accurate. I just finished a parasitology class and we learned all about sarcoptes scabei and demodex. :thumbup: Good to know that something I learned in class is actually applicable to real life! Hahahah.

 

[Moon]

It's good that you're being careful, just in case. Scabies is a nasty little affliction.

 

[jorats]

Yikes! Definitely cause for concern. A while back there was a posting at my work about one of the fox having it. Everyone was put on alert and eventually the fox was found and brought in for medical care.