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1 April 2004 Sarcoptic Mange in Raccoons in Michigan
Scott D. Fitzgerald, Thomas M. Cooley, Alice Murphy, Melinda K. Cosgrove, Betty A. King
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Abstract

Sarcoptic mange is a cause of pruritic skin disease in domestic dogs and a wide range of wildlife species. We describe sarcoptic mange in free-ranging raccoons (Procyon lotor). Three adult raccoons from upper Wayne County, Michigan (USA), were captured, killed, and submitted for diagnostic evaluation. The animals were intensely pruritic, and two had advanced alopecic and crusting lesions over their dorsum and hind limbs. Skin scrapings and skin biopsies revealed crusting and hyperkeratotic dermatitis with high numbers of Sarcoptes scabiei adults, larvae, nymphs, and eggs. These raccoons were not otherwise debilitated, with minimal internal parasites, good body condition, and no evidence of infectious bacterial or viral diseases. Because sarcoptic mange is highly contagious and affects many species, including humans, transiently, it is important that wildlife biologists and rehabilitators include sarcoptic mange in their differential list for raccoons exhibiting pruritus and alopecia.

Fitzgerald, Cooley, Murphy, Cosgrove, and King: Sarcoptic Mange in Raccoons in Michigan
Scott D. Fitzgerald, Thomas M. Cooley, Alice Murphy, Melinda K. Cosgrove, and Betty A. King "Sarcoptic Mange in Raccoons in Michigan," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 40(2), 347-350, (1 April 2004). https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-40.2.347
Received: 13 June 2003; Published: 1 April 2004
KEYWORDS
parasites
pathology
Procyon lotor
raccoon
Sarcoptes scabiei
sarcoptic mange
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