Bugging Me All Night Long: Types of Lice You Didn’t Know About

Since our evolution as a species, lice have remained with us. They feed on human blood and there is no place other than the human body where they can survive.

These bugs have proved to be a nuisance for us. There are three types of lice that irritate us. They are:

1. Body Louse (Pediculushumanuscorporis)
2. Head Louse (Pediculushumanus capitis)
3. Public Louse (Pthirus pubis)

Let us take a look at the types of lice in greater details:

Body Louse

Body lice are a type of lice that can live on clothing and bedding items. They frequently lay eggs on clothes. Sometimes, these eggs can get attached to body hair.

They are generally found in unhygienic conditions. The bites of these lice can cause allergic reactions in the body.

Body louse cause intense itching, which can produce sores. These sores are then filled with bacteria and fungi, which can further deteriorate the situation.

Some of the diseases that body louse can lead to include epidemic typhus, trench fever and louse-borne relapsing fever, among others.

They are spread through physical contact or with contact of clothing or bedding items.

Head Louse

The head louse is the most common type of louse and is found on the human head. They suck blood from the human head. Interestingly, they are not known to spread any diseases. However, they do cause irritability and sleeping problems.

Head lice infestation is very common among school going children. These lice generally spread through head to head contact which is quite a common occurrence at school. Also, pets such as dogs and cats, do not have anything to do with spreading of head lice.

Public Louse

The public louse is also called crab lice. As the name suggests, the public louse is found on human’s genital areas.

Some other areas that public louse can be found on include legs, armpits, eyebrows, etc. The condition occurs across all the different countries, races, groups and ethnicities.

Sexual contact is one of the common causes of spreading of public lice. They can cause itching in the genital areas.

One of the common misconceptions regarding public lice is that they might spread through toilet seats. This is not true as public louse does not have the capability to survive without human body, let alone on the smooth surface of a toilet seat.

With a team of lice specialists, we provide quick, efficient and pesticide free lice removal services. Call us at 800-748-9451 to learn more.