Cat's head mange

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The head scabies (syn. Feline scabiose ) is a rare parasitosis that occurs especially in cats and is caused by Notoedres cati . Above all, weak and neglected cats , both domestic cats and wild felids, are affected. The pathogen seldom spreads to false hosts such as humans and causes pseudo- scabies (animal cabins) with severe itching.

Cause and development of the disease

The pathogen N. cati is a mite belonging to the Sarcoptidae that is slightly smaller than the scabies mite , but otherwise very similar. The entire development cycle takes place in the host's skin; the mites are only able to survive outside the host for a few days. The females lay their eggs in bores in the epidermis . The mites and their stages of development live in these boreholes, sometimes on the skin surface, and feed on lymph and tissue fluid .

The head mange is highly contagious, with the mites mainly spreading to other cats through direct contact. The disease occurs worldwide, but is a rather rare form of mange . Animals with a weakened immune system, malnutrition and general illnesses are particularly affected, so that the head scab can also be viewed as a factor disease .

Clinical phenomena, examination methods and treatment

The mites cause severe skin changes on the head through their mouthparts and their saliva, which start mainly in the forehead area and at the base of the ears. Bran-like deposits, crusts, skin thickening ( hyperkeratosis , lichenification ) and hair loss occur. The disease is characterized by severe itching , which can lead to deep, self-inflicted skin wounds as a result of scratching. The head scab leads to a strong restlessness.

The diagnosis is made based on the clinical picture and microscopic examination of a deep skin scrap . Above all, the ear mange is to be distinguished .

Avermectins ( ivermectin , doramectin ), pyrethroids or fipronil are used for treatment .

People experience severe itching, and scratching causes abrasions and redness. Papules and blisters form and secondary bacterial infections can cause severe skin inflammation. Graves do not occur in humans. Since the causative mites cannot complete their development cycle in false hosts, the infection heals after two weeks even without treatment if contact with the vector is prevented.

literature

  • Wieland Beck: Scabies in cats caused by Notoedres cati (Acari: Sarcoptidae) - pathogen biology, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis and therapy. Kleintierpraxis 42 (2000), pp. 715-722.
  • Th. Hiepe: Textbook of Parasitology. Volume 4. Fischer-Verlag Jena, pp. 167-168. ISBN 3-437-20252-9
  • E. Kutzer: Mange of the cat . In: J. Boch and R. Supperer: Veterinary Parasitology . Paul Parey 1992, pp. 638-639.
  • Barbara Hinney and Anja Joachim: Ectoparasites in dogs and cats . In: Kleintierpraxis 59 (2014), pp. 152–172.
  • Wieland Beck, Nikola Pantchev: Parasitic Zoonoses: Image-Text-Atlas . Schlütersche, 2010, ISBN 978-3-8426-8032-6 , p. 22 .