Types of lice – what are on the head and body of a person, classification

Many of us only think about the tiny insects that invade our hair when it comes to treating lice. However, did you know that lice can be divided into several kinds according to their habitat and behavior? Gaining an understanding of these distinctions can improve the efficiency of diagnosing and treating lice infestations.

Most people probably most familiar with head lice. These microscopic insects consume blood and reside on scalps. Though they can afflict anyone, children are particularly susceptible to them. It’s critical to recognize and treat them because they can cause discomfort and itching in addition to being an annoyance.

Then there are body lice, which only come into contact with the skin to feed. They reside in clothing. They can cause severe itching and irritation and are more common in individuals who practice poor hygiene. There are some differences between treating and preventing body lice and head lice.

Lastly, there are pubic lice, which are found in the pubic area as their name implies. Because of their shape, they are also referred to as "crabs." Though less talked about, they can be just as itchy and uncomfortable as head and body lice. Although sexual contact is the primary method of transmission, contaminated bedding or clothing can also be a source of infection.

You can prevent and effectively treat lice infestations by being aware of these types of lice and their typical locations. Learn more about each type and how to best address them by continuing to read.

The main types of lice that can be found in humans – official names

Lice come in a wide variety of forms. Mammals alone are home to over 500 different types of these parasites. A human home contains three of these:

• Head louse;
• Body louse;
• Pubic louse.

Head louse

Two types of human lice exist: Pediculus humanus capitis and Pediculus humanus. This species is found in the beard, mustache, and hair of the head. The head louse’s legs are designed to survive on hair with a rounded cross-section.

The parasite’s body is tiny and has a dark gray color. The louse burrows into human hair and feeds on blood. The body turns either red or purple after ingesting blood. An adult parasite has a length of 2-4 mm. Women typically have larger bodies. She lays five eggs a day for about a month during her brief life. Nits, or eggs, develop in seven to ten days after being fixed at the base of the hair. The mature louse hangs on the hair, empty, until it leaves the egg. The young insect reaches sexual maturity after 6–10 days.

Compared to the clothes louse, for example, the head louse poses less of a threat to people. The truth is that it doesn’t harbor illnesses like typhus. However, saliva gets into the wound following a parasite bite, causing irritation and itching (pediculosis). In this situation, there is a higher chance of infection from skin damage.

Dress louse

Pediculus humanus corporis, also known as Pediculus corporis De G. var. vestimenti): This insect typically resides on the pile of used clothing and in its folds. The louse lays its eggs, or nits, there and reproduces. The insect feeds on human blood by moving from clothing to the skin for a while. The male has a body length of 3.7 mm, while the female has a length of 4.7 mm.

Lice use piercing needles contained in a soft tube called a proboscis that emerges from the mouth and whose edges snugly fit into the skin puncture. The pharynx and pharyngeal pump muscles contract during the bloodsucking process. An enzyme found in the parasite’s saliva stops blood clotting.

An extremely flexible short esophagus allows blood to enter the stomach. Drinking blood, an adult may consume between 0.001 and 0.003 ml. Because of their sexual dimorphism, lice tend to be larger and heavier than males, which makes them drink more blood. Prior to consuming blood, the louse has a faint gray color. The parasite’s body turns a deep red color once the blood has entered it.

In their 40–45 day lifespan, females are able to deposit 100–150 eggs. An average female lays four nits every day. After six to eight days, a new it becomes a louse. The young parasite goes through three molts and is capable of reproduction in its first eight days of life. Because it is a typhus carrier, this kind of insect poses a risk to humans.

Pubic louse

Another name for this parasite is crab (Phthirus pubis). They inhabit the parts of the human body that have triangular-shaped hair, such as the pubic region, the genitalia, and the area surrounding the anus. Occasionally, one may discover pubic lice on the stomach, on the chest, or even in the armpits. Since the hair on the scalp is rounded and the pubic louse’s limbs are not designed to attach to it, crabs cannot be found there.

The only food source for the parasite is human blood. The insect dies in a day or two if it doesn’t get fresh blood portions. The insect enlarges its esophagus after piercing a blood vessel’s wall, drawing blood into it like a pump. In addition, it injects an enzyme that stops blood clotting into the wound. Every four to five hours, crabs eat.

Because of the insect’s typically light brown body, the parasite on pubic hair is hardly noticeable. Length of body: 1.5–2 mm; larvae: 0.7–1 mm. The louse may appear extremely wide with its powerful, elongated legs spread wide. The pubic louse has a brown tint to it.

The female lays an egg, which takes 5-7 days to develop into a larva that takes 13–17 days to mature, during which time there are three molts. The mature individual then starts to procreate. The condition known as pubic pediculosis, or phthiriasis, is brought on by the appearance of these parasites.

Photo under a microscope

Under a microscope, the grayish translucent chitin that makes up a head louse’s shell can be seen in great detail. The long, elongated body is ellipsoid shaped, with rounded bulges all over the edges. Three pairs of legs are also visible, which the louse uses to cling to the hair.

The chitin of the crab louse is lighter, and its body is shorter and lacks the rounded protrusions that are typical of this species. There are three pairs of legs on this kind of parasite.

The previous species is not at all like the pubic louse. Chitin that is translucent and brown makes up its body. The body is shaped like a diamond because it enlarges significantly near the head. The insect appears even wider because of its three impressively large pairs of legs.

Lice in animals

Lice can infect dogs, cats, and other furry pets. Most people refer to them as lice-eaters. These parasites consume dead skin scales and hair. They are unable to consume blood by biting through the skin.

Lice-eaters are smaller parasites than human counterparts. Their heads are triangular with a small notch to catch hairs in front. Their bodies are round. Because of their powerful jaws, lice-eaters can easily bite off pieces of skin. The pet is extremely itchy as a result of this process.

Even indoor pets may contract these parasites from outside environments. There are several ways in which this can occur:

• When in contact with stray animals;
• When grooming or cutting hair, if the tools were infested with insects;
• When the owner comes into contact with stray animals infested with lice.

Crucial! Every kind of lice is unique to their host. Consequently, human parasites cannot infect a pet, nor can lice infect an individual.

What size are lice

The tiny parasite:

• Hoplopleura tenacious. This is a louse that lives on house mice, field mice and hamsters. The insect has a body length of 0.8-1 mm for males and 1-1.4 mm for females.;
• Pubic lice also have small body sizes – from 1.5 to 2 mm.

Parasites of average size are:

• Sheep linognath. Lives on different parts of the body of domestic sheep. Reach from 2.1 mm. to 2.8 mm. in length;
• Bristly linognath. Lives on domestic dogs and cats. Sometimes found in some varieties of foxes. Body length from 1.8 mm. to 2.4 mm.;
• Equine hematopinus live on domestic donkeys and horses. Body length from 3 mm. to 3.5 mm.;

The biggest parasites are:

• Pig hematopinus. Female length – 5 mm., male – 4 mm.;
• Head louse. Body length is 2-4 mm.;
• Clothes louse. Body length from 3.7 mm. 4.7 mm.

Understanding the various types of lice and where they are found can aid in the effective treatment of these tiny parasitic insects that can infest various parts of the human body. Head lice, body lice, and pubic lice are the three main types of lice. Different symptoms and concerns are caused by the specific areas that each type prefers to live in and lay eggs in. Pubic lice are found in the coarse hair around the genital area, body lice attach themselves to clothing and migrate to the skin to feed, and head lice live on the scalp. Determining the type of lice you have is essential to selecting the appropriate treatment and stopping their spread.

Types of lice depending on color

Parasites come in the following hues:

• Brown;
• Red;
• Gray;
• Black.

Brown

The majority of lice are various shades of brown. Occasionally, yellow-colored insects can also be found, like the sheep linognath. This color is shared by the majority of parasites that reside on animals.

Red

This color is unique to one kind of lice, the pig hematopin. The parasite’s body is mostly colored in shades of dark pink to red. The sides of the body have dark areas.

Additionally, a red tint may appear right after a parasite bites its victim and begins to feed on blood.

Gray

Lice on the head and body have this color. The color of the first variety is darker.

Black

Black people are occasionally discovered among head parasites. The temperature at which the insect eggs developed is what gave the chitin its particular color. Every generation that comes from a person who contracted lice during an extremely cold or, conversely, extremely warm period of time, will be darker in color. The insect’s body must produce more pigment in response to temperature changes. Nevertheless. The louse is actually still gray, but because of the increased pigment, we perceive it as a black insect.

Types of lice – depending on appearance

The parasites’ bodies are flattened in shape. The insects’ comparatively short but extremely strong legs enable them to cling firmly to a person or animal. They typically have three pairs.

Like other insects, lice have three main body parts: the head, chest, and abdomen. The head is angular in shape, narrowing at the front, and bearing two short antennae and two basic eyes. There is a rotating hole on the front of the head.

A pair of legs connects each of the three closely spaced segments that make up the trapezoidal-shaped parasite chest. Each paw has a fully formed, movable claw at the end that resembles a clamp.

The structure of all lice is generally the same. Thus, the only way to divide them is according to the shape of the chest and abdomen:

• Oval (or ovoid) form. Like head or plate parasites;
• Diamond. This form has, for example, pubic lice.

There are no lice wings present at all. These parasites used to have wings, but they lost them when they evolved and adopted a parasitic lifestyle. You can be certain that an insect you come across that has wings is not a louse.

What do nits (larvae) of all types look like

The larvae have a appearance similar to tiny capsules. A sticky substance makes up the capsule’s shell, which is used to secure the nit to the hair. There is a tiny hole on top of the capsule that is sealed with a lid. The louse chooses its shell upon hatching by pushing out the lid.

REFERENCE. The nit capsule can only be seen in its entirety under a microscope. Without this kind of magnification, capsules that are empty and those that contain a developing parasite appear to be identical in our eyes.

When the temperature is 30 degrees Celsius, nits grow for 7–8 days. The species to which the larvae belong determines their size. As a general rule, the size of the nit will fall between 0.5 and 0.8 mm for mouse and pubic parasites and larger than that for pig, clothing, and head varieties.

How you can get infected and the main symptoms

Lice infections can affect humans and animals alike. Some people believe that filthy people are the cause of pediculosis. However, this is not at all true. Wherever they settle, parasites don’t care. The only ways to get lice are by coming into contact with an infected person or his personal items, such as clothing or parasitic public areas.

Symptoms of infection

• Constant itching of the skin;
• Rash directly at the sites of bites;
• Scratches (appear after a long-term infestation with lice);
• The appearance of nits on the hair.

Type	Description
Head Lice	Small, grayish insects living on the scalp, feeding on blood. Cause itching and irritation.
Body Lice	Live in clothing and move to the body to feed. Often found in areas with poor hygiene.
Pubic Lice	Also known as crab lice, these infest the pubic area and sometimes other body hair. Cause itching and discomfort.

Effective management and prevention of lice require an understanding of the different types of lice and how they are classified. Each type of lice—head, body, and pubic—has unique traits and targets different parts of the body. The most prevalent kind of lice are head lice, which typically itch and cause discomfort when found on the scalp. In contrast, body lice reside on clothing and only come into contact with the body for feeding, usually in situations involving inadequate hygiene or crowded living quarters. The coarse hair in the genital area is precisely what pubic lice are adapted to.

Different strategies are needed for treatment and prevention depending on the type of lice. While body lice are best controlled by increasing personal hygiene and routinely washing clothing and bedding, head lice are usually managed with medicated shampoos and combing. Topical insecticides are used to treat pubic lice, which affect the afflicted person as well as those in close proximity.

You can gain a better understanding of lice behavior and take the necessary precautions to prevent or eradicate an infestation by learning about the unique characteristics of each type of lice. The secret to effectively managing lice and preserving health is awareness and quick action.

Video on the topic

NEEDLE IN THE SKIN UNDER A MICROSCOPE