Mange Disease : Outbreak Among Dogs
The forest department is monitoring an outbreak of mange among a pack of Asiatic wild dogs in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris.
- Mange Disease is a skin disease of animals caused by mite infestations, characterized by inflammation, itching, thickening of the skin and hair loss.
- The most severe form of mange is caused by varieties of the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which also causes human scabies.
- Some form of mange is known in all domestic animals, although many varieties of mange mites infest only one species.
- They are transmitted between animals by direct contact and by objects that have been in contact with infected animals. Most forms of mange are treatable.
