Knowra Pediculosis Pediculosis Pediculosis is infestation of humans by blood-feeding lice that live on scalp hair, body hair, or clothing. Its main forms are head, body, and pubic louse infestations.
Head lice : Infestation of the scalp and hair by the human head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis. This common form lives on the scalp and spreads chiefly through close head-to-head contact.
Pediculicide : A substance used to kill lice, available in topical formulations and, in some cases, oral medicines. These treatments target active lice, though resistance and product instructions affect effectiveness.
Pediculosis corporis : The clinical condition caused by infestation with body lice. This form can spread epidemic typhus, trench fever, and louse-borne relapsing fever.
Mites : Small arachnids that include parasitic species, such as the mite responsible for scabies. Mites cause some itchy infestations but are biologically distinct from lice.
Pediculus humanus : The species of human louse comprising the head-louse and body-louse forms. Its two forms differ in habitat and disease transmission while remaining closely related.
Body lice : Infestation by Pediculus humanus humanus, a louse that lives and lays eggs in clothing seams and feeds on skin. Unlike head lice, these lice inhabit clothing and can transmit certain infectious diseases.
Wet combing : A method of detecting and removing head lice by systematically combing wet, conditioned hair with a fine-toothed comb. It can reveal live lice and remove them without relying on insecticide.
Epidemic typhus : A potentially severe infection caused by Rickettsia prowazekii and transmitted by body lice. Body lice make pediculosis a vector-borne disease risk in crowded, unsanitary conditions.
Dandruff : Flaking of the scalp’s outer skin, usually caused by accelerated skin-cell shedding. Scalp flakes can be mistaken for nits, but they are not attached eggs.
Pthirus pubis : The species of louse that causes pubic-louse infestation in humans. Its distinct anatomy and preferred coarse hair distinguish it from Pediculus lice.
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