What’s biting you?

This isn’t really about what’s biting you, but a new theory suggests biting mites may have led to the extinction of dinosaurs.

CORVALLIS, Ore., Jan. 3 (UPI) — A U.S. zoologist says dinosaurs may have been killed off by tiny, biting, disease-carrying insects.

If true, it represents one of many causes, not the sole reason for extinction.

The concept is outlined in the new book What bugged the dinosaurs? Insects, Disease and Death in the Cretaceous by George and Roberta Poinar.

“We don’t suggest that the appearance of biting insects and the spread of disease are the only things that relate to dinosaur extinction,” Poinar said. “Other geologic and catastrophic events certainly played a role. But by themselves, such events do not explain a process that in reality took a very, very long time, perhaps millions of years. Insects and diseases do provide that explanation.”

You can click here to read the rest of the story from United Press International.

Scabies occurs when the Sarcoptes scabiei mite burrows under your skin.

This photo shows someone with scabies on her hand, after six days’ development:

According to the CDC’s page on scabies, the symptoms are:

• Pimple-like irritations, burrows or rash of the skin, especially the webbing between the fingers; the skin folds on the wrist, elbow, or knee; the penis, the breast, or shoulder blades.
• Intense itching, especially at night and over most of the body.
• Sores on the body caused by scratching. These sores can sometimes become infected with bacteria.

Scabies can take 4-6 weeks to appear after exposure. You can catch scabies by prolonged skin-to-skin contact with others, or by sharing items that touch the skin, like towels, unwashed clothing, and sheets. (The CDC website says it is not commonly caught via a handshake or a hug.)

If you think you have scabies, do not try to treat it on your own. See a doctor.

Sometimes other conditions (like bed bug bites) can be mistaken for scabies, even by a doctor.

It’s a good idea to ask your doctor to confirm the presence of scabies, by doing a skin scraping. But remember, even a negative result from the scraping does not mean you do not have scabies.

If you do have scabies, you need to be treated with a prescription medication. One treatment usually works, but if not, the doctor will want you to repeat it or try another lotion. In order to make sure you don’t get it again from your clothing and sheets, you will also need to wash and dry all worn clothing and bedding on hot.

Photos of scabies on skin from the University of Iowa Hardin MD site.

Here’s a page on scabies (La sarna) in Spanish.

Scabies mites look like the following picture, but of course, you won’t be able to see them.

Scabies, by MacAllen Brothers (Micah MacAllen). Used under a Creative Commons Attibution/Share-Alike license.

Does your family have pet gerbils? If so, they are a possible source of your itchy skin condition, according to this 2001 article in the Archives of Dermatology.

Avian Mite Bites Acquired From a New Source—Pet Gerbils

Report of 2 Cases and Review of the Literature

Anne W. Lucky, MD; C. Paul Sayers, MD; J. David Argus, DVM; Andrea Lucky, BA

Arch Dermatol. 2001;137:167-170.

ABSTRACT

Background Cutaneous manifestations of avian mite bites are not well recognized by physicians or patients. Clinical signs and symptoms are usually caused by bites from avian mites that have infested domestic poultry or birds nesting in or near human habitation. This report details 2 cases of pruritic papules acquired from avian mites that had infested pet gerbils and reviews the dermatologic literature about avian mites.

Observations An 11-year-old boy and an unrelated 10-year-old girl each had mysterious, pruritic papules for many months before their pet gerbils were found to be infested with Ornithonyssus sylviarum (the northern fowl mite) and Dermanyssus gallinae (the chicken mite), respectively. Symptoms resolved when the gerbils were removed from the home.

Conclusions Because infestation of pet gerbils with avian mites has never been reported, cases of avian mite bites and dermatitis may have gone unrecognized or misdiagnosed. Inquiry about ownership of pet gerbils may be helpful in patients with mysterious bites.

You can read the whole article here at the Archives of Dermatology.

Remember, if you think something’s biting you, go and see a doctor and rule out scabies, body lice, and other conditions the doctor can treat. If you may have bird mites, rat mites, or another infestation, seek the advice of a good pest management professional. You cannot get rid of this on your own.

In summer 2007, an outbreak of what were called “itch mites” broke out in Chicago. As of September, scientists were trying to determine which species of Pyemotes mite caused the outbreak. Pyemotes are traditionally associated with galls on oak trees. Interestingly, the article suggests that was not the case here:

Because it has been difficult to find oak leaves with midge galls, and reports of bites and rashes were coming from neighborhoods that had few, if any, oak trees, the mites may have built their population on a food source other than oak gall midges.

There are links to more information on Pyemotes in our useful resources page.

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This website exists to help people find out if they are being bitten by a mite.

The site is still under development, but for now, look at the useful resources page to get you started.

If you think you are being bitten by something, get a pest control professional (exterminator) in right away to inspect.