A Case of Crusted Scabies in Isfahan, Iran

Scabies is one of the most important infectious skin diseases caused by the arthropod mite Sarcoptes scabiei var Homonis. Crusted scabies is a rare form of scabies that multiplies rapidly and extensively in the skin of an infected person, usually in immunocompromised patients, and is accompanied by a severe allergic reaction. Here, we report an 85-year-old man, a resident of the village, who had been severely itchy for two months.

An 85-year-old man with severe skin symptoms was referred to the Parasitology Department of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, for diagnosis of skin parasitic disease. A sample of skin lesions was prepared by scraping method and observed under microscope. Under microscopic examination, by observing the mite and its eggs, scabies was diagnosed and the diagnosis of crusted scabies was confirmed according to the clinical signs.

This form of the disease occurs in people with defective immune systems, but according to the case reported here, it seems that it can also occur in people with healthy immunity.