Sarcoptes scabiei in histopathologic sections of skin in human scabies.

The usual methods of diagnosis remove Sarcoptes scabiei from its habitat. Thus, one has no appreciation of the host-endoparasitic interaction, especially the pathologic response of the surrounding tissue and the means by which the mite survives and lives its life cycle in the skin. The biopsy specimen described in this article demonstrates the tissue reaction that can be correlated with clinical symptoms. It also clearly depicts the actual position, morphological features, and developmental cycle of the mite in the skin.