Scabies: Test and Diagnosis

Laboratory parameters of the 1st order – obligatory laboratory tests.

Laboratory parameters 2nd order – depending on the results of the history, physical examination and mandatory laboratory parameters – for differential diagnostic clarification.

  • Vesicles (vesicles)/pustules (pustules); collection of fluid for further diagnosis:
    • Native (potassium hydroxide) to exclude mycoses (fungi).
    • Gram/Giemsa stain (bacteria, analysis of inflammatory cells: neutrophils and eosinophils granulocytes/belong to the leukocyte (white blood cell) group).
    • PCR diagnostics (polymerase chain reaction): v. a. HSV-1-PCR/HSV-2-PCR (nucleic acid amplification technique (NAT)) – direct detection of viral DNA with PCR from efflorescences.
  • Skin biopsy (tissue removal from the skin) for histological (fine tissue)/immunohistochemical examination (including to exclude histiocytosis/Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH)).