Psoroptic Mange

an animal disease characterized by itching, skin inflammation, loss of hair, and emaciation. Psoroptic mange is caused by mites of the genus Psoroptes. Different mite species occur in different species of farm animals.

Psoroptic mange causes the greatest economic damage to fine-wooled sheep raising and rabbit breeding. The disease generally appears in the winter or early spring, when the hair of the animals is quite thick and the humidity of the air near the skin is high. A female mite deposits 40 to 60 eggs in a lifetime; the development of a generation takes 14 to 20 days. Mites remain viable outside the host’s body for up to two months.

Infection occurs when healthy animals come in contact with diseased individuals or grooming utensils that have been used on diseased animals. Crowded maintenance conditions and inadequate feeding foster the spread of psoroptic mange. Diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms and the results of laboratory analysis of skin scrapings. Control measures include the destruction of mites on the animals’ bodies, in the pasture, on grooming utensils, and in barns.