Anyone can get
body lice. However, in the United States and other developed countries, body lice are found mainly in homeless, transient populations who don't have access to changes of clothes or baths. Infestation is unlikely to persist on anyone who bathes regularly and who regularly has access to freshly laundered clothing and bedding.
Therefore, suggestions for body lice prevention include the following:
- Bathe regularly
- Change and wash clothes regularly
- Do not lie on beds or couches that have recently been in contact with an infested person
- Do not share clothing with an infested person.
Pubic lice (crab lice) are usually spread through sexual contact. Rarely, infestation can be spread through contact with an infested person's bed linens, towels, or clothes.
Some suggestions to prevent a pubic lice infestation include the following:
- Avoid multiple sex partners
- Do not share clothing or bedding with an infested person
- Avoid sexual contact with an infested person.
A common misconception is that infestation can be spread by sitting on a toilet seat. This isn't likely, since lice cannot live long away from a warm human body. Also, lice do not have feet designed to walk or hold onto smooth surfaces such as toilet seats.
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