The Basics To Body Lice

headlice March 1st, 2007

Many are familiar with head lice, especially parents, but body lice are something that often goes unnoticed.  There is no question that head lice are more common, especially since it has reached an epidemic level in the United States.  However, body lice can become just as serious an issue as any other form of louse.
    
Pediculosis is an infestation of lice.  Unlike head lice, which spreads among hair on the head, body lice infestations occur on clothing.  They are especially relevant along the seams of the inner surfaces of clothing close to the skin.  The louse then feed on human blood, which can cause severe itching.

Another form of louse that many consider body lice is pubic lice.  Much like head lice, pubic lice infest hairy parts of the body including the groin, eyebrows, eyelashes and facial hair.  Just like body lice, pubic lice feed on human blood as well.  In the beginning it will cause itching and be an annoyance, but the longer it is untreated the worse the itching will become, eventually causing rashes.

Anyone can become infested with body lice regardless of age, sex or race.  You may know that head lice can infest even the cleanest most sanitary people or places.  On the other hand, body lice tend to infest people living in crowded and unsanitary places.  Body lice feed on people that wear clothing several days in a row without laundering them.  Many times you will hear body lice associated with the homeless.

In the next post I will discuss the common symptoms of body lice and how to know if you might be infected.

Comments are closed.

Trackback URI |