The Challenge of Developing a Single-Dose Treatment for Scabies

Scabies is a common skin disease with an estimated worldwide incidence of 200 million people infected per year. Its morbidity and mortality is principally due to secondary bacterial infections, a link now well recognized and prompting the recent inclusion of this disease-complex in the WHO list of neglected tropical diseases. The few treatments available are poorly effective against Sarcoptes scabiei eggs and appear to induce resistance in the parasite. An ideal alternative would be a single-dose regimen that kills all developmental stages, including eggs. Drugs used in the veterinary field and applied to other arthropods could be tested experimentally in an established pig-scabies model. Moreover, functional genomics combined with target validation through biochemical research should assist in identifying new drugs.