{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T16:27:03Z","timestamp":1792168023677,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,25]],"date-time":"2025-12-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766620800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Bioengineering"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Scabies, caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis, remains difficult to confirm histologically when parasites are sparse or fragmented. Conventional microscopy is particular but limited by small sample size, tissue destruction, and observer dependence. Objective: To evaluate visible\u2013near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (VIS\u2013NIR HSI) as a label-free optical method for detecting S. scabiei in human skin sections and to assess its compatibility with routine HE staining. Methods: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) skin tissue from six patients with histologically verified scabies was analysed using VIS\u2013NIR HSI (500\u20131000 nm). Unstained sections mounted on CaF2 substrates and parallel HE-stained slides were imaged. Spectral datasets were processed by principal component analysis and segmentation to distinguish mite structures from epidermal and dermal compartments. Results: The chitin-rich mite exoskeleton exhibited a reproducible reflectance slope in the near-infrared range (R850\/R550 &gt; 1.5), clearly separating parasite from host tissue (R850\/R550 &lt; 1.0). PCA confirmed consistent cluster separation across all cases (\u0394PC \u2248 3.7 \u00b1 0.2). These contrasts remained detectable in HE-stained sections, validating applicability to conventional slides. Conclusions: VIS\u2013NIR HSI enables reliable, label-free detection of S. scabiei mites in both unstained and HE-stained human skin tissue. By combining morphological and biochemical information in a single modality, HSI represents a promising adjunct to digital dermatopathology and may improve diagnostic sensitivity in challenging or atypical cases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bioengineering13010016","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,25]],"date-time":"2025-12-25T23:52:27Z","timestamp":1766706747000},"page":"16","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Digital Dermatopathology of Scabies: HE-Compatible VIS\u2013NIR Hyperspectral Imaging as a Label-Free Proof-of-Concept Approach"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-7306-5457","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maximilian","family":"Lammer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergy, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matthias","family":"Schmuth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergy, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-1720-6319","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul","family":"Bellmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergy, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4900-3742","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Verena","family":"Moosbrugger-Martinz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergy, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bernhard","family":"Zelger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Private Dermatological Practice, Specialized in Dermatopathology, Mariahilfpark 1\/6, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Birgit","family":"Moser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergy, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6272-3242","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christian Wolfgang","family":"Huck","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rohit","family":"Arora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Miranda","family":"Klosterhuber","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0203-213X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Johannes Dominikus","family":"Pallua","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"},{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Micali, G., Lacarrubba, F., Verz\u00ec, A.E., Chosidow, O., and Schwartz, R.A. 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