Hog mange is a serious pruritic dermatitis caused by the itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis. The itch mite has remained a severe ectoparasite of utmost importance to the pig industry, especially with the environment promoting its spread. The ubiquity cum difficulty in diagnosing and treatment has led to great economic losses. This study aimed at evaluating the prevalence and antigenic recognition spectra of confined pigs in a resource poor community in Ogbomosho, South-West Nigeria. Skin scrapings were obtained from the inner ears and skin of mange-established pigs to check for presence of mites. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were carried out on serous blood obtained from naïve (uninfected) and mange-positive pigs. Autoantibody titres eliciting immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding to certain iron-binding proteins, namely,transferrin, ferritin, albumin, lactoferrin, haemoglobin, and haptoglobin, were measured at specific optical densities (OD450). One hundred and fifteen (115) pigs comprising males (40, 34.8%) and females (75, 65.2%) were enrolled for the study. The prevalence of infestation was high (63, 54.7%) with manifestation of mange occurring in all growth stages: piglets (11, 42.3%), growers (23, 63.9%), and adults (29, 54.7%). Mange-positive pigs showed higher mean OD450 to transferrin (0.49), ferritin (0.37), albumin (0.28), and lactoferrin (0.40). Both naïve and mange-positive pigs produced OD450 to haemoglobin (0.07 and 0.15) and haptoglobin (0.26 and 0.27) indicating that IgG does not cause sequestration with those proteins even after infection. The presence of autoantibodies specific to sarcoptic mange will certainly open an array of clinical diagnostics and provide an avenue for new antiscabies drugs.
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