A skin scraping will diagnose which parasite?

A skin scraping will diagnose which parasite?

• A. Notoedres
• B. Bovicola
• C. Otodectes
• D. Ctenocephalides

Answer: (A)

Skin scrapings are used to detect burrowing mites that live in the epidermis. Notoedres species are such mites; they reside in the skin and shed eggs and mite bodies into the scraping, which you can see under a microscope. This makes a skin scraping the most appropriate test to diagnose their presence. The other parasites aren’t diagnosed this way because they inhabit different niches or are detected by other methods: Bovicola lice live on the hair and surface of the skin and are usually found by brushing or direct visual inspection rather than a skin scrape. Otodectes cynotis is the ear mite, diagnosed from debris in the ear canal via ear swab or otoscope exam. Ctenocephalides felis fleas are found on the animal or in the environment, diagnosed by locating fleas or flea dirt rather than by skin scraping.

Skin scrapings are used to detect burrowing mites that live in the epidermis. Notoedres species are such mites; they reside in the skin and shed eggs and mite bodies into the scraping, which you can see under a microscope. This makes a skin scraping the most appropriate test to diagnose their presence.

The other parasites aren’t diagnosed this way because they inhabit different niches or are detected by other methods: Bovicola lice live on the hair and surface of the skin and are usually found by brushing or direct visual inspection rather than a skin scrape. Otodectes cynotis is the ear mite, diagnosed from debris in the ear canal via ear swab or otoscope exam. Ctenocephalides felis fleas are found on the animal or in the environment, diagnosed by locating fleas or flea dirt rather than by skin scraping.