This article is about the animal. For the infestation caused by body lice, see Pediculosis corporis.
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Body louse
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Psocodea
Family:
Pediculidae
Genus:
Pediculus
Species:
P. humanus
Subspecies:
P. h. humanus
Trinomial name
Pediculus humanus humanus
Linnaeus, 1758
The body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus, also known as Pediculus humanus corporis) is a hematophagic ectoparasite louse that infests humans.[1] It is one of three lice which infest humans, the other two being the head louse, and the crab louse or pubic louse.[2]
Body lice may lay eggs on the host hairs and clothing,[3] but clothing is where the majority of eggs are usually secured.[4]
Since body lice cannot jump or fly, they spread by direct contact with another person or more rarely by contact with clothing or bed sheets that are infested.[5]
Body lice are disease vectors and can transmit pathogens that cause human diseases such as epidemic typhus, trench fever, and relapsing fever.[6] In developed countries, infestations are only a problem in areas of poverty where there is poor body hygiene, crowded living conditions, and a lack of access to clean clothing.[7] Outbreaks can also occur in situations where large groups of people are forced to live in unsanitary conditions. These types of outbreaks are seen globally in prisons, homeless populations, refugees of war, or when natural disasters occur and proper sanitation is not available.[8]
^Zimmer, Carl (8 November 2023). "Lice Genes Offer Clues to Ancient Human History - The jumpy parasites have followed our ancestors around for at least 25 million years, adapting along with us through major upheavals". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
^Prevention, CDC-Centers for Disease Control and (2021-01-11). "CDC - Lice". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
^Sulica, VI; Graham, JH (August 1981). "Generalized pediculosis corporis. Microscopic study of hairs". Journal of cutaneous pathology. 8 (4): 308–11. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0560.1981.tb01015.x. PMID 7309944.
^Nuttall, George H. F. (November 1917). "The Biology of Pediculus humanus". Parasitology. 10 (1): 80–185. doi:10.1017/S0031182000003747. ISSN 0031-1820.
The bodylouse (Pediculus humanus humanus, also known as Pediculus humanus corporis) is a hematophagic ectoparasite louse that infests humans. It is one...
species of louse—the head louse and the bodylouse are subspecies of Pediculus humanus; and the pubic louse, Pthirus pubis. The bodylouse has the smallest...
flat surfaces. The non-disease-carrying head louse differs from the related disease-carrying bodylouse (Pediculus humanus humanus) in preferring to attach...
the louse cannot jump, it can also live in other areas of the body that are covered with coarse hair, such as the perianal area, the entire body (in men)...
divided into two subspecies, Pediculus humanus humanus, or the human bodylouse, sometimes nicknamed "the seam squirrel" for its habit of laying of eggs...
Humans can also become infected with two other lice – the bodylouse and the crab louse. To make the diagnosis, live lice must be found. Using a comb...
Rochalimea quintana, Rickettsia quintana), found in the stomach walls of the bodylouse. Bartonella quintana is closely related to Bartonella henselae, the agent...
Sea lice (singular: sea louse) are copepods (small crustaceans) of the family Caligidae within the order Siphonostomatoida. They are marine ectoparasites...
humanus is a species of louse that infects humans. It comprises two subspecies: Pediculus humanus humanus Linnaeus, 1758 – bodylouse Pediculus humanus capitis...
causative organism is Rickettsia prowazekii, transmitted by the human bodylouse (Pediculus humanus corporis). Untreated typhus cases have a fatality rate...
A whale louse is a crustacean of the family Cyamidae. Despite the name, it is not a true louse (which are insects), but rather is related to the skeleton...
head louse. Pediculosis may be divided into the following types:: 446–8 Pediculosis capitis (Head lice infestation) Pediculosis corporis (Bodylouse infestation...
Organization (WHO) Raoult, Didier; Roux, Veronique (October 1999). "The BodyLouse as a Vector of Reemerging Human Diseases". Clinical Infectious Diseases...
the bodylouse (Pediculus humanus humanus) is a vector. Louse-borne relapsing fever is more severe than the tick-borne variety.[citation needed] Louse-borne...
bacterial genus Rickettsia are transmitted by lice. For example, the human bodylouse transmits the bacterium Rickettsia prowazekii which causes epidemic typhus...
Pediculus humanus humanus Linnaeus, 1758 – the bodylouse Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer, 1767 – the head louse Pediculus mjobergi Ferris, 1916 Pediculus...
Also, make sure to regularly clean yourself and your clothing to help kill louse. This also goes for things like bedding and towels. Make sure to not share...
usually transmitted from person to person by the human bodylouse. Since the 1800s, the bodylouse has been known as its only known vector. B. recurrentis...
individuals may feel tired or have a fever. Typically, uncovered areas of the body are affected. Their bites are not known to transmit any infectious disease...
burrows into the skin (usually at the hands or wrists, but other parts of the body may also be affected), and lays its eggs. The burrowing is carried out using...
the nose, the eyelashes, and eyebrows — but also occur elsewhere on the body. D. folliculorum is occasionally found as a cause of folliculitis, although...
size and translucent bodies, are barely visible to the unaided eye. A typical house dust mite measures 0.2–0.3 mm in length. The body of the house dust mite...
(also known as "crabs" and "pubic lice") is an infestation by the pubic louse, Pthirus pubis, a wingless insect which feeds on blood and lays its eggs...
for the sequencing of the bodylouse genome. Subsequently, he served as the director and community coordinator of the BodyLouse Genome Sequencing Consortium...
superfamily of chewing lice, Amblycera, often referred to as the chicken bodylouse family. They are ectoparasites of a wide range of birds including chickens...
Cymothoa exigua, or the tongue-eating louse, is a parasitic isopod of the family Cymothoidae. It enters fish through the gills. The female attaches to...
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