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Every year, around 400 million people worldwide are affected by an intensely itchy skin condition caused by microscopic parasitic mites called Sarcoptes scabiei. Known as scabies, the infestation begins when the tiny mites burrow into the top layer of the skin, where they live and lay eggs. This triggers severe itching, inflammation, rash-like lesions and crusting. In a recent study, researchers developed a single topical treatment that targets both live mites and their eggs, something most conventional medications fail to do.

The lotion was made by dissolving two active drug compounds in olive oil. The first was abametapir, which blocks enzymes essential for mite eggs to hatch, and the second was flavesone, a natural compound from mānuka oil that rapidly kills adult mites. A pig model infected with scabies received the topical lotion treatment, which was left on its skin for different lengths of time.

A single application left on for just four hours eliminated all live mites and viable eggs within 24 hours of treatment. No live mites or hatching eggs were recovered after day one, and the infestation did not return at any point during the 42-day observation period. The lotion also significantly reduced itching behavior and skin crusting within the first week.

Scabies is one of the most common neglected tropical diseases worldwide. Even with this heavy burden, there has been little progress in treatment for more than 30 years.

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