A Salem, Mass., woman was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for trying to give her landlord scabies, police say.

Police were called to the woman's apartment building Saturday after she and her landlord got into an argument over bugs and mice in the building, The Salem News reported.

The landlord called an exterminator to the building to deal with the woman's complaint, but the exterminator refused to enter the woman's apartment.

The tenant, whose name was not reported, told police she complained to the landlord that he "was treating her like a 'leper.'" She then went into the hallway toward him, "wiping her arms on him."

The landlord reacted by slapping her in the face.

When speaking with police, the landlord said the woman "intentionally went toward him to wipe her contagious skin condition on him. He did react by slapping her in the face."

Police noted the woman had many red scab marks on her arms, an indication of scabies, which is caused by a tiny parasites.

Officers said because the landlord is more than 60 years old, they decided to regard the woman's scabies as a dangerous weapon and issued a summons. (UPI)