[Life cycle of scabies mite (Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis) studied by scanning electron microscopy (author's transl)].

The life history of the Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis has been studied with a scanning electron microscope on crusts of a patient with hyperkeratotic (Norwegian) scabies, Eggs, embedded in an amorphous material, are laid in tiers on the parakeratotic floor of the burrow. Once larval maturation has been completed, eggs are cut out from inside and the larvae leave the shells which remain attached to the neighbouring corneocytes. The moults are easily recognized and give us a view on the hidden face of dorsal spines and bristles.