BELLEVILLE, Ont. - An eastern Ontario long-term care facility that was exposed to scabies went into quarantine for more than a week as a precaution, officials said Thursday while stressing that no cases of the skin infection were found among staff and residents.

The Belmont Long-Term Care Facility in Belleville closed its doors to visitors last Wednesday after staff learned the facility had been exposed to the infection, which is caused by mites that burrow into the top layer of human skin and lay eggs. The mites are similar to lice and require a host to live.

Despite earlier reports of an "outbreak" situation, administrator David Clegg said no "confirmed" cases of the infection were detected, but precautions were taken to prevent any possible spread.

"What we've done is we've treated (residents) and our staff members," he said, noting preventative measures were taken even before anyone complained of symptoms.

"It's one of those things. I can't say who exposed us ... but we were exposed so we took proper precautions."

About 150 staff members and 128 residents were treated with a special cream. A thorough cleaning of the facility was also conducted, with particular attention paid to beds and linens, Clegg said.

One floor of the facility reopened Thursday and the second is expected to reopen Friday, he added, with regular visiting hours resuming on the weekend.

While the facility is not required to report the infection to the public health department or the Health Ministry, Clegg said he contacted both for advice on how to deal with the situation.

Robbin Lindsay, an entomologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada, said scabies is a "reasonably uncommon" infectious disease that is typically passed through direct contact with an infected person or by exposure to clothes or items that may have contacted an infected person's skin.

Lindsay said it's not something that can be attributed to a lack of cleanliness.

While the Health Ministry's website says the facility has a clean record, NDP health critic Frances Gelinas said she is concerned private facilities like Belmont may cut corners on things like cleaning and laundry to save money.

She also questioned why it took staff at the facility more than a week to discuss the issue publicly, and suggested they treat everybody immediately to "erase" any trace of a potential problem.