Human scabies is an intensely pruritic skin infestation caused by the host-specific mite Sarcoptes scabiei hominis. The mites reproduce on the skin surface and then burrow into the skin and lay eggs. This causes a pruritic, red skin rash to form. Scabies occurs worldwide and affects people of all races and social classes. Scabies is contagious; the mite is usually spread by direct, close, prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a person who has scabies. It can spread rapidly under crowded conditions where close body contact is frequent. These images show the mite on the skin surface and within the epidermis.