Scabies is a disease that many people do not associate with sexually transmitted diseases. When a person thinks of an STD, Chlamydia, HIV, or HPV normally come to mind. While scabies does not technically have to be transferred through sexual contact, it can still be transmitted this way and is therefore included in this list of STDs. Scabies is certainly not a desirable affliction, as it is an infestation of the top layer of a person’s skin caused by the parasite sarcoptes scabiei. However, the irritating disease does have a few treatment options and does not bear the potentially threatening complications of certain other STDs.

More Information about Scabies

Scabies is really an infestation of the skin by a group of mites. These mites burrow into the skin and leave a very noticeable zigzag, or “S”-like pattern. It usually takes about ten days for the mite eggs to become adults. The mite lifecycle continues until treatment has taken place. Once a person has acquired the mites, it may take four to six weeks for any symptoms to appear. Scabies does not have to be spread by actual sexual contact. It usually takes a more prolonged length of exposure rather than just a short sexual encounter. For example, someone who spends the night in the sheets of someone else who has been infected is more likely to get the disease than someone who does not.

Scabies can infect the clothes and bed linens of the person who acquires it and can spread among household members and intimate friends. This is why it is very important to attempt to eradicate the disease after it has been discovered. This includes treating anyone who might be infected as well as disinfecting the soiled linens, clothes, and any other items that could have been affected. If a person does not do so, he could risk reacquiring the illness and having to endure treatment over again.

Some of the symptoms of the disease include itching, the presence of mite burrows and their particular pattern, and lesions from the mites. A doctor can perform a small skin biopsy by shaving a bit of the top layer of skin where the mites are believed to have burrowed. Other tests can be performed as well, including placing ink on the burrows to check for the “S”-like pattern. Treatment for scabies includes creams and washes that are specifically designed to kill the mites in conjunction with an invermectin, an oral concoction designed to kill the mites. Both of these treatments can also be used alone.

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