''Psoroptes'' is a genus of

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

s, including the agents that cause psoroptic mange.

Psoroptic mange

''Psoroptes'' mites are responsible for causing psoroptic

mange Mange is a type of skin disease caused by parasitic mites. Because various species of mites also infect plants, birds and reptiles, the term "mange", or colloquially "the mange", suggesting poor condition of the skin and fur due to the infection ...

in various animals, leading to

economic loss Economic loss is a term of art which refers to financial loss and damage suffered by a person which is seen only on a balance sheet and not as physical injury to person or property. There is a fundamental distinction between pure economic loss and ...

es among farmers of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

and

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

s. It is also known as sheep scab and cattle scab. The disease is highly

infectious An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

, and is transmitted via fenceposts and other structures that livestock use when scratching themselves. The mites have mouthparts which do not pierce the skin, but are adapted to feeding on the surface, where the mites abrade the

stratum corneum The stratum corneum (Latin for 'horny layer') is the outermost layer of the epidermis. The human stratum corneum comprises several levels of flattened corneocytes that are divided into two layers: the ''stratum disjunctum'' and ''stratum compact ...

. See Mites of livestock for photographs of infestations by ''Psoroptes''.

Taxonomy

''Psoroptes'' has been traditionally considered to include five species living on different host species, but genetic analysis has reduced the genus to a single species, ''Psoroptes ovis''.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q6470951, from2=Q4357712 Sarcoptiformes Parasitic acari Veterinary entomology Monotypic arthropod genera