Otoacariasis: A Parasitic Infestation of Rarity among Humans

Abstract Otoacariasis is the infestation of animal or human ear canal by arthropods of the Acari subclass. Ticks and mites infest domestic and wild animals commonly; however, reports of mite infestations in the human ear are not commonly found in literature. A 57-year-old male from a rural background presented with itching and foreign-body sensation in the right ear. Multiple live mites were found in the right ear canal on otoendoscopic examination. A diagnosis of otoacariasis was made. The ear canal was washed with normal saline and metronidazole solution, and further, the patient was treated with permethrin topical application solution. We report the rare case of an infestation of mites and their eradication with permethrin topical application.