Think you’ve got a parasite infestation going on in your patient’s home but can’t identify the culprit?
"If you’re trying to make a diagnosis and you’re having difficulty finding the organism ... bring in the infants. They don’t scratch well," Dr. Bernard Cohen said at the American Academy of Dermatology’s Summer Academy meeting in Boston. In the case of scabies in infants (Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis), "you’ll see tons of burrows, and your scrapings should be positive close to 100% of the time."
Photo courtesty CDC
How should you treat infants with scabies? Permethrin 5% cream is approved for infants 2 months and older, said Dr. Cohen, who is director of pediatric dermatology at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore.
–Kerri Wachter (@knwachter on Twitter)