Body Lice

There are three types of lice that affect humans: body lice, head lice and pubic lice (crabs). Body lice are small, flat insects. They’re parasites, which means they live around your body and feed on your blood. They have a long abdomen, six legs, strong claws on the bottoms of their legs that allow them to hold onto a host (you), and sharp mouthparts that can pierce your skin to feed on your blood. They can’t fly or jump, so they travel by crawling.

There are three stages of body lice:

• Nit: Nits are oval-shaped, yellow-white lice eggs. They’re very small, and you may not see them on your skin. You’re most likely to find nits in the seams of your clothing. Nits hatch within one to two weeks.
• Nymph: A nymph is an adolescent louse (singular form of lice) that hatches from a nit. Nymphs are smaller than adult lice but will mature into adults after feeding on blood for nine to 12 days.
• Adult: An adult louse looks yellow-gray or brown-red. They’re about the size of a sesame seed (3 millimeters). Female lice are typically bigger than male lice, and they can lay over 300 nits during their lifespan. Body lice only live for about 20 days. If an adult louse can’t feed on blood, it’ll die within one to two days.

Unlike head lice and public lice, body lice don’t live on your body. They live and reproduce in your clothing.

Who do body lice affect?

Anyone can have body lice. Body lice affect people of all ages and races around the world.

Body lice occur most often among people living in crowded conditions without regular access to clean clothes, bedding (bedsheets, pillowcases, blankets and so on) and personal hygiene products. This may include:

• People without housing.
• Refugees.
• Victims of natural disasters.
• Victims of war.

How do body lice affect my body?

Body lice infestations (pediculosis) usually cause itchy skin and a skin rash at the site of louse bites. Some people don’t have any symptoms at all. Most people recover from body lice infestations without using medication.

Body lice typically affect the areas of your body where the seams of your clothing touch your skin, including your:

• Waist.
• Groin.
• Armpits.
• Shoulders.
• Neck.