Sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei var vulpes) in a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) population in north-west Surrey

摘要

The mange mite Sarcoptes scabiei can infest a wide range of domestic and wild mammals throughout the world and is well documented, affecting the European red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Although fox scabies is considered to be endemic throughout Great Britain, the results of a literature search only revealed recorded infestations in the suburban fringes of London and along the Surrey/Sussex border (prevalent since 1968) (Lloyd 1980). Although apparently not present in Wales up to 1973, it was recorded in parts of Glamorgan in 1974 (Lloyd 1980). In Bristol, the fox population was observed to crash in the mid-1990s after an outbreak of sarcoptic mange (Baker and others 2000).