Body Lice (Cont.)

Body Lice and Disease

Unlike head lice, which do not transmit disease, body lice can (in some cases) spread other diseases. Epidemics of typhus and louse-borne relapsing fever have been caused by body lice.
 
Though typhus is no longer widespread, epidemics still occur in the following cases:
 
  • During times of war
  • During civil unrest
  • During natural disasters
  • In refugee camps
  • In prisons where people live crowded together in unsanitary conditions.
     
Typhus still exists in places where climate, chronic poverty, and social customs prevent regular changes and laundering of clothing.
 

The Life Cycle of Body Lice

There are three forms of body lice:
 
  • The egg (also called a nit)
  • The nymph
  • The adult.
     
(Click What Do Lice Look Like? to see the actual size of the three forms of lice compared to a penny.)
 
The Nit
Nits are the eggs of body lice. They are quite small (about the size of a knot in thread) and can be hard to see. They are generally easy to see in the seams of clothing, particularly around the waistline and under armpits. They may also be firmly attached to the hair shaft. They are oval in shape and are usually yellow to white in color.
 
Nymph
The nit hatches into a baby body louse called a nymph. It looks like an adult body louse, but is smaller. To live, the nymph must feed on blood.
 
Adult Body Louse
The adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, has six legs, and is tan to grayish-white in color. Adult lice can live up to 30 days on a person's body. To live, adult lice need to feed on blood. If the body louse does not get a blood meal, it dies within 10 days.
 
(Body Lice Continued: Page 3)

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD