''Psoroptes'' is a genus of

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...

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 infecti ...

in various animals, leading to

economic loss Economic loss is a technical terminology, 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 ...

es among farmers of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal 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 d ...

and

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly 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 ...

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

infectious 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 language, Latin for 'horny layer') is the outermost layer of the epidermis (skin), epidermis. Consisting of dead tissue, it protects underlying tissue from infection, dehydration, chemicals and mechanical stress. It is ...

. 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 arachnid genera