Pathogenesis of psoroptic scabies in Hereford heifer calves

Hereford heifer calves were experimentally infested with Psoroptes ovis. Histologic examination of skin specimens was conducted at weekly intervals before and after treatment with ivermectin on postinfestation week 7. Electron microscopy revealed numerous degranulating mast cells in the skin of infested but not in control calves. many active, as well as degenerate, neutrophils were in the scab on infested calves. Microscopic epidermal ulcers developed on infested calves when live mites were present but not after treatment. Numbers of dermal neutrophils and plasma cells decreased and numbers of circulating neutrophils increased 1 week after treatment. Numbers of dermal eosinophils and mast cells in calves with eosinophilia increased for several weeks after treatment. Statistical analysis indicated significant correlations (P less than 0.05) among numbers of dermal inflammatory cells, hemogram values, and changes in dermal thickness. Seemingly, mite-induced epidermal damage was the key pathogenic event in psoroptic scabies in calves. Mast cell degranulation contributed to the pathogenesis of the dermatitis, and neutropenia was caused by sustained, poorly compensated efflux of neutrophils into the scab through mite-induced breaks in the epidermis.