Human lice are three types of lice - those found in the hair (on the head), pubic lice, and clothing lice. Head lice most often cause a disease called head lice, but some of them can cause much more serious descent, incl. typhoid. Check what types of lice are and what are the symptoms of diseases caused by them.

See gallery 4 photos

Lice is an increasingly common problem that most often affects children in preschool and early school age and their families.

Lice areblood-sucking parasitesthat feed on the body of humans and animals. We divide human lice into three types:

  • head louse ( Pediculus humanus capitis )
  • pubic louse ( Pediculus humanus pubis )
  • clothing louse ( Pediculus humanus vestimenti )

Interestingly, human lice do not live on pets (dogs, cats), so you do not need to inspect their hair.

Lice - what do they look like?

The size of the head liceis2-3 mm . Lice larvae (nits) are whitish-brown in color, resembling a pinhead in size. The female usually lays 6 to 8 eggs a day for the next 20 days. Thanks to the adhesive substance, they stick firmly to the scalp. Within 10 days, the eggs hatch into a larva, which then transforms into an adult.

Pubic liceis smaller compared to head lice, and the color corresponds to the natural color of the skin.

On the other hand,all clothing items , which are slightly larger than the head lice, are usually gray.

Lice - where are they?

The widespread belief that the occurrence of lice is associated with dirt, poverty and the lack of compliance with basic hygiene rules made the subject of lice a taboo subject in our country.

And the facts are that head lice have always been present all over the world. The problem affects all continents, climatic zones and populations. The spread of the infection is favored bylarge groups of people .

See the gallery of 6 photos

How to recognize lice in a child?

Head lice (head lice) - symptoms, infection

Head liceis most often diagnosed in children aged3-12 years .It is favored by "contact" games and not fully developed hygienic habits. Lice do not jump and swim, therefore infection can only occur through direct contact or through contaminated objects: brushes, hairpins, combs, clothes, headgear, plush toys, bedding , mattresses etc.

The symptoms of head lice are:

  • itchy inflammatory lumps in the stab places (the sting itself is not painful),
  • itching,
  • redness of the scalp, especially near the hairline and behind the ears,
  • hair clumped with purulent-serous secretions.

Adult lice and nymphs may be difficult to see (they are located behind the ears, on the crown and on the back of the head). Visiblenitsare:

  • small, oval, gray and white
  • stuck to the hair close to the root
  • Cannot be shaken, separated with fingers

Not only the sick person should be treated, but also hisfamily.

Worth knowing

Author: Nyda

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Spokesman for the Warsaw Sanepid, Joanna Narożniak: Lice are not a pathology

Source: x-news.pl/Dzień Dobry TVN

Pubic lice (pubic lice) - symptoms

Pubic lice most often parasitize on:

  • skin of the pubic area,
  • inner thigh surfaces,
  • armpit,
  • in hairy areas of the chest,
  • on eyelashes,
  • eyebrows,
  • in facial hair.

Sometimes it is also found in the hair of the temporal area. It can occur in bothadults and children.However, in children, due to the lack of body hair and facial hair, it locates in the area of ​​eyelashes and eyebrows.

Pubic liceis now a rare disease. Usually it is associated (similarly to clothing lice) with vagrant diseases. The appearance of these licetestifies to great neglect and completelack of hygiene .

Blue spotsappear on the skin at the injection site of the toxic venom, which indicate hemolysis (breakdown) of red blood cells. Skin lesions are inevitably accompanied bypruritus , which may lead to secondary infections due to scratches.

The control methods are the same as in the case of head lice. However, lice located in the area of ​​the eyelashes are particularly unpleasant and difficult to remove. To combat them, theargon laser phototherapy is sometimes used .

According to an expertDr. Elżbieta Szymańska, MD, a dermatologist

Pubic lice

Some time ago I found a pubic louse on my body, near the genitals, I have no idea where it got there. How do I get rid of them?

Dr. Elżbieta Szymańska, MD, PhD, dermatologist: Pubic lice infection occurs through direct contact with an infected person, although eggs can also be transmitted through clothing, bedding or the use of the same towels. In the treatment of pubic lice, preparations containing lindane, dimethicone or permethrin are used.

Clothing lice - where are they?

We get infected with clothing lice through direct or indirectcontact with clothing(onclothing seams , mainly in the places where the clothing touches the skin, i.e. on the nape, neck or underwear) and with bedding. Lice do not live on the skin, unlike head lice and pubic lice. The disease most often affectshomeless people .

Symptoms of clothing lice areunbearable itching of the skin , which intensifies especially at night, lumps (formed after the louse sucks blood), the presence of brown discoloration and small scars that appear after cross-cuts and secondary purulent infections, peeling and thickening of the skin due to scratching. A symptom of the presence of clothing lice can also bemajor(clothing lice often carry it).

Treatment of clothing lice requires a specialsanitary regime(bath, use of medication, change of underwear and clothes).

Dermatologist Michał Rogowski-Tylman explains how to get rid of head lice

Source: x-news.pl/Dzień Dobry TVN

What diseases do lice transmit?

In addition to head lice, lice (this only applies to clothing lice) can also cause other diseases:

  • typhus
  • trench fever
  • return major

These diseases are very rare in Europe today. However, they can pose a significant problem in areas affected by natural disasters and war.

Seealso:

  • Intestinal parasites in children: pinworms, lamblia, human roundworm, intestinal nematode and whipworm

Category:

Parasitic diseases