Mineral Oil Scabies Preparation From Under the Fingernail.

The microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabiei can burrow into the epidermis of human skin and cause scabies. Obtaining scabies mites from the skin for diagnosis can be challenging. We describe a method for extracting the scabies mite using the tip of a disposable blunt-tip hyfrecator electrode to gently scrape under the fingernail bed. We find that this is a quick and efficient method of obtaining a scabies mite for rapid diagnosis.