Scabies

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Scabies is a common parasitic infection caused by Sarcoptes scabiei mites which burrow into the skin, causing a rash. In many cases, the skin legions caused by scabies can lead to secondary bacterial infections.

Worldwide, an estimated 300 million scabies infections occur annually (Source: WHO).

Scabies affects people in overcrowded situations. It opportunistically infects soldiers in wartime, nursing home residents, kindergarten children and the immunosuppressed, such as transplant patients. In Australia, the Indigenous community has 16 times the number of scabies cases compared to non-Indigenous populations.


Our research focuses on: 

  • Researching how the S. scabiei evades the immune response.
  • Sequencing the S. scabiei genome to understand scabies genetics.
  • Investigating drug resistance in the human scabies mite.

Our recent research has found: 

  • The main component of clove oil is just as effective at killing scabies mites as the current topical treatments.


Research groups involved in scabies research: