Title: The infectivity of scabies (mange) mites, Psoroptes ovis (Acarina: Psoroptidae), to sheep in naturally contaminated enclosures
Abstract: Psoroptes ovis, the common scabies (mange) mite, is responsible for a highly contagious skin disease of sheep and cattle. The disease is prevalent among cattle herds in the southwestern USA and occurs in sheep and/or cattle in many areas of the world including Great Britain. Sheep were used as experimental hosts for the study of this parasitism. Scabies mites may be transmitted from host to host by direct contact or by various inanimate vectors. Tests conducted in the southwestern USA show that mite-contaminated corrals and other enclosures may remain infectious to clean sheep when unoccupied for three days. Enclosures unoccupied for four days were non-infective; this was shown in 10 essentially parallel tests in which a standard procedure was followed. Results of related tests designed to show infectivity of scabies mites under experimental conditions showed: (1) that mite populations removed from ovine hosts and starved for up to 10 days at room temperature (24°C – 26°C) could be successfully transplanted to clean sheep; (2) that mites of sheep origin maintained out of doors produced infestations after starvation periods of up to 12 days; and (3) that mites refrigerated at 2°C – 6°C were successfully transplanted and produced a viable infestation on a recipient host after a maximum 17-day starvation period. On the basis of these data it is recommended that, when time permits and where disinfestation is not practicable, enclosures suspected of scabies mite contamination be vacated for at least two weeks and if possible for one month, before occupancy by clean sheep. There is reason to believe that these observations are very closely applicable to cattle corrals and vehicles as well.
Publication Year: 1977
Publication Date: 1977-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 21
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