What is used to identify mites or eggs in suspected scabies under microscopy?

• A. Skin scraping of burrows with mineral oil to identify mites or eggs under microscopy.
• B. Blood test for scabies antibodies.
• C. Urine analysis for eosinophils.
• D. Patch testing for mites.

Answer: (A)

Direct visualization of the parasite on a skin scraping is how scabies is confirmed under a microscope. By scraping a burrow site and placing the specimen in a drop of mineral oil on a glass slide, the sample is kept from drying and becomes easier to observe. Under light microscopy you can directly see the mite, its eggs, or the characteristic fecal pellets, which provides definitive evidence of infestation. Serology for scabies antibodies isn’t reliable for diagnosing an active infestation because antibodies may take time to develop and can be non-specific. Urine eosinophils and patch testing don’t diagnose scabies; patch testing is for allergic reactions, not parasitic mites. So the mineral oil–prepared skin scraping with microscopy is the method that yields direct, confirmatory findings.