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, 22:51, 30 March 2010
[[Image:Demodex canis.jpg|right|thumb|150px|''Demodex canis'' - Wikimedia Commons]]
*''Demodex spp.'' found on all domestic mammals and in humans
**Each host has its own species
*Causes [[Parasitic skin infections - Pathology#Demodicosis|demodecosis]]
'''Recognition'''
*Cigar shaped
*Four pairs of stumpy legs on the anterior end
*Long and narrow to fit into hair follicles
'''Life cycle'''
*Live as commensal organisms
*Live in hair follicles and in sebaceous glands
*Life cycle takes '''3 weeks'''
'''Pathogenesis and epidemiology'''
'''Dogs'''
*Initial infection is slight hair loss which may resolve spontaneously or could spread over the body
*Squamous demodecosis
**Less serious
**Dry reaction
**Alopecia, desquamation and skin thickening
**Absent to mild pruritus
*Follicular/pustular demodecosis
**More serious
**Skin invasion by ''staphylococci''
**Skin becomes wrinkled, thickened and contains pustules which ooze serum, blood or pus
**Affected animals may be seriously disfigured
**Severe pruritus is associated with secondary infection
*Immune factors are important in determining the severity and occurrence of demodecosis
**Familial susceptibility
**Immunosuppression
**Immunosuppressant therapy
'''Cats'''
*Rare
*Confined to the periocular region
*Mild squamous type only
'''Cattle'''
*Pea-sized nodules in the skin
**Each nodule contains several thousand mites
*Affects hide quality
**Economically important in Australia
'''Goats'''
*Becoming more common in goats
*Disease similar to that in cattle
'''Pigs, Sheep and Horses'''
*Rare
'''Diagnosis'''
*Liquid paraffin applied to a skin fold
*Deep skin scraping
'''Control'''
*Not easily accessible to acaricides due to their deep location in the skin
*Repeat treatments needed
*Recovery may take several months
*To aid [[Ectoparasiticides|acaricide]] penetration, clipping a dog's coat and washing is recommended
[[Category:Parasites]][[Category:Mites]]