HUMAN LOUSE

also called Body Louse (Pediculus humanus), one of the most common sucking lice (see sucking louse), found wherever human beings live. There are two subspecies of the common human louse: Pediculus humanus capitis, the head louse, and P. humanus humanus, the body louse, or cootie. The body louse is an important carrier of epidemic typhus; other louse-borne human diseases are trench fever and relapsing fever. Smaller and tougher than the body louse, the head louse attaches itself to the hair or scalp by means of claws on its legs. Young lice are sometimes called red backs because of their blood-red colour after feeding; they are called black backs, or gray backs, after digestion has taken place. Head lice are sensitive to heat and cold; they pass from host to host by direct contact. The easiest way to get rid of them is to keep the hair and scalp clean and to use a fine-tooth comb frequently. In earlier times, when hygiene was not commonly practiced, heads were shaved and wigs worn in an effort to get rid of head lice. The body louse is larger than the head louse and ranges in colour from white to brown. It lives in the seams of clothes but is not dependent upon clothing. The species is prolific; the female lays her eggs, which hatch in about a week, in underclothes. The body louse is transferred by direct contact. It is sensitive to heat and cannot survive hot temperatures; therefore, ordinary laundry procedures will kill it.