Making a Scabies Skin Scraping Kit

Richard Siderits, MD
Christopher Sereni, MSIII
Sujal Singh, Experimental Pathology Team

Video of Live mites under the microscope
High magnification video
This video shows the appropriate pressure to exert on skin when doing a skin scraping for scabies.

Scabies is a highly contagious parasitic infection that can cause an itchy, painful rash, in addition to severe discomfort. It spreads rapidly in crowded environments such as nursing homes, hospitals, military installations, and child-care facilities. Transporting patients to a medical facility for skin scraping increases the risk of spreading infection, increases cost of the procedure, and delays diagnosis and treatment.

A scabies skin scraping kit is useful and easy to assemble. Benefits of such a kit include timely skin sampling, followed by rapid diagnosis and prompt treatment. This saves time and expense for health care providers.

The following items are needed to assemble one scabies skin scraping kit.

Ziplock bag (1)
Gloves (2)
Pencil (1)
Webcol (1)
Tube for oil w/ cap (1)
Bandages (1)
Biohazard bag with required instructions (1)
Retractable scalpel (1)
Slide holder (1)
Microscope slides (2)
Cover slip (2)
Requisition slip (1)
Procedure form (1)

• Labels for the kit and oil tube should be printed before kit assembly

Print the following two forms for inclusion in the kit. Right click on the image and choose "save as" to save to your computer. Then print copies as needed. (The requisition form is included in doc format for download as well.)

Or, you can choose use your own forms.

Print this!

This is one of two images which should be printed to serve as a template for making scabies skin scraping kits. Simply match each item to its picture on this template in order to ensure that all items are included in each kit.

Print this

This page serves as the second template for making skin scraping kits.

Here is an example of all kit items placed on the image template.

In order to expedite kit assembly, you can label and fill multiple oil tubes, and prepare slide holders (containing two slides and two cover slips) before-hand.

Assuming oil tubes and slide holders are prepared before-hand, a complete kit is composed of eleven (11) unique items, not counting labels.

1. Ziploc bag
2. Requisition Form
3. Procedure form
4. Pencil
5. Oil Tubes, labeled and filled
6. Prepared slide holder (containing two glass slides and two cover slips)
7. Bandage
8. Webcol (alcohol prep pad)
9. Safety scalpel
10. Two Gloves
11. Specimen Bag

This video shows the appropriate pressure to exert on skin when doing a skin scraping for scabies.

Note: Scrapings must be from the infected area.

1. Identify the skin in the area to be scraped (between skin folds, red lines, pencil point like dots).
2. Scrape the skin with the edge of a scalpel blade. Use the lid of the inner carrier as a work-stage.
3. Transfer the material that is attached to the scalpel blade onto the glass slide by tapping gently.
4. Add 1 or 2 drops of mineral oil from the pierced oil segment to the slide, and mix of skin cells and oil.
5. Label the slides by writing the patient's last name, first name and date on the frosted part of the slides.
6. Place the slides in the slide carrier, tape it closed, and place in a biohazard bag. The bag should be accompanied by the appropriate form with relevant patient identification, clinical history, requesting physician and location of skin that had been scraped.

Read the disclaimer carefully!