Ink Test for Scabies
Here's a simple test that you or your doctor can do when you're asking the "is it scabies" question. First, look carefully for fresh itchy bumps or thin grayish squiggly lines (burrows) in the skin, especially at hands, inner wrists, fingerwebs, elbows, armpits, ankles, feet, diaper area, belt-line, and abdomen. Infants and young children can get scabies on the face, scalp, and neck, unlike older folks. Magnifying glass and bright light can help.
Take a dark washable wide-tip marker, and rub around the suspicious bumps or burrows. Then take an alcohol wipe or alcohol-soaked gauze and wipe away the ink. If there's a scabies burrow under the skin, the ink often remains, showing you a dark irregular line. Occasionally a tiny dark dot is visible at the end of the burrow - that's the mite.
At the doctor's office, we might use mineral oil and a scalpel to scrape the burrow and a fresh bump or two onto a microscope slide, to look for the mite, or its eggs and feces. But the ink test can be done at home, if you're curious that way. In children recently adopted from institutional care, we do have a pretty low theshold to treat for scabies for intensely itchy skin rashes.
May 14, 2007
Reader Comments (9)
Wow thats a really helpful and creative way to see if you have scabies. Nice work.
my friend developed a rash.her doc said dermititis,and prescribed a cream...the rash grew ..no relief..back to clinic..now the diagnosis was scabies!!!!help!!!aweek later after treatment...still no relief..back to doc whosaid she had dermititis..more creams!!!no tests were done to confifm or otherwisethe diagnoses..enough to drive you crazy.
Honestly, we don't always do this ink test or a scraping to confirm the scabies diagnosis either, if our suspicion for scabies is high enough. And you can have significant rash & itch for weeks after scabies is treated, from an inflammatory reaction to the dead mites and their droppings. This can be helped with topical steroids.
We brought our son home at 8mths old in Jan 2008. When we arrived he was beginning to show lots of itchy bumps on arms, legs, back of neck, face, hands (not in webbing of fingers at all just on the fingers), wrists (not elbows). We were treated (whole family) for scabies when we got home but it wasnt until she gave him an antiobiotic that was saw relief for him. Now at 1 yr old, we still see evidence of "scabies" (we dont think it was) with dark spots on arms and legs (but none on face, trunk, etc.). The oddity is when he gets in the sun/heat they become more prevalent (darken and almost like stand out more or become more than a dark blemish.. more like a dark bump) There is no itching but just more noticeable like it reacts to the sun/heat. can you tell us if this was indeed scabies? or could of it have been something else. he was in foster care and cared for so perfectly and well. I mean none of the family had this on them with their 2 children and the other child staying with them. In reading, his symptoms werent anything like scabies. No crusting over or stuff. I thought chickenpox at first but the ped.dr. said scabies right off. Thanks for any advice and I know we can't expect much with not seeing him. Just any ideas of what else it could be to look into that mimics or is similar to scabies. remember it didnt crust over or get gross.. just mimics more like chickenpox..itchy, then remained a dark spot.
BlessedFamily, your son may have had a normal allergic reaction, or hive, or perhaps a strange fungus type infection called Molluscum Contagiosm..?. Perhaps what remains is scar tissue -- I recommend speaking to a dermatologist to get to the bottom of it.
i looked at that, Molluscum Contagiosm, and its nothing like it. he never had like a blister or skin tag type thing. it was like chicken pox more. he is guatemalan and now where he had the ones that didnt clear as well, he has dark spots. he DID NOT have it in any genital area, nor in fingerwebbing or toes or anyting like i read about scabies. we are going to take him soon to dermatologist but was hoping we'd have some clue before going to treat here at home and save a visit. when he gets out in sun, its like it wakes up those spots to become raised dark spots. does that help?? any suggestions??
thanks
help. 2 weeks ago my son broke out in a rash which was little raised bumps on arms, back, legs, genitals. We took him to reg. dr and they said they didnt know. Maybe mollescum however, he has had that and I knew it was not that. ( he had those 2years ago) He also had MRSA 3years ago. My kids tend to catch everything....It almost looked viral because these tiny little bumps ( light colored) would appear and then eventually they raised. We went to dermatologist and he said scabies. We treated him. He went back to daycare today and there were more bigger clumps and bumps all over his body again. They are in clusters and not just in a line. They are not grey. What do you think? Also, the dermatologist didnt think we needed to treat my husband, myself or my 11year old daughter. Said to wash linens though.
My 6 year old came home from school with a rash that looked alot like poison ivy.I had him seen at our local hospital where they gave him orapred and stated that it was poison oak.A week later to ten days he still was itching and I myself had this terrible itching mostly at night.I took him to the doctors office and the doctor gave the whole family medication for scabies we are 9 days after treatment and we are still itching and it has gotten worse.I called the doctor he stated that we can't be treated again with the medication he gave us what do we do now I have seven children that are coming down with this nonsense and with no relief Help before we have no skin left to scratch.Intense itching driving all involved insane
It's likely bed bug bites. Look up pictures on the internet. We just left the Urgent Care where the Nurse practitioner diagnosed my daughter's bed bug bites as scabies. It is ABSOLUTELY not scabies. It is Bed Bugs Bites. We know exactly when and where she was bitten and identified the insects. ( A cabin in Utah). The nurse insisted it was scabies...
My daughter had a severe allergic reaction to the bites and both of her arms were covered and swollen... getting increasingly more agitated as the days went on. She has not had continual exposure to the insects as we are certain not to have contaminated our house, knowing full well the risk, we took enormous precautions.
Bed bugs can be impossible to find even if you have a massive infestation. Start doing your research and begin the process of trying to verify that is what he has.
This is not a cleanliness issue by the way, You can be hygiene freaks and still have them.
The similarity with the heat is also what my daughter is experiencing, She is doing better thanks to Prednisone, as all other antihistamines were not doing it for her.
Check out the HEAT method of killing them if you find I am right.