Scabies and pediculosis

Scabies and pediculosis are ubiquitous, contagious, and debilitating parasi tic dermatoses. They have been known since antiquity and are distributed wo rldwide. Clusters of infestation occur-for example, scabies affecting immun ocompromised individuals or patients and staff in hospitals and nursing hom es for the elderly, and pediculosis affecting schoolchildren or homeless pe ople. Associations with other disorders are common: infections with human T -cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus I (HTLV-1) and HIV are associated with scabi es, and trench fever and exanthematous typhus with pediculosis. Specific fo rms of scabies, including bullous scabies or localised crusted scabies, may be misdiagnosed. Moreover, definitive parasitic diagnosis can be difficult to obtain, and the value of new techniques remains to be confirmed. Diffic ulties in management have returned scabies and pediculosis to the limelight .