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The body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus, also known as Pediculus humanus corporis) or the cootie is a hematophagic ectoparasite louse that infests humans. [1] It is one of three lice which infest humans, the other two being the head louse, and the crab louse or pubic louse.
Many insects have a lice-like appearance and are often found on or accidentally land on human bodies. Before going to the doctor or taking Bugs That Look Like Lice, But Are Not
Human head and body lice occupy distinct ecological zones: head lice live and feed on the scalp, while body lice live on clothing and feed on the body. Because body lice require clothing to survive, the divergence of head and body lice from their common ancestor provides an estimate of the date of introduction of clothing in human evolutionary ...
Pediculus humanus is divided into two subspecies, Pediculus humanus humanus, or the human body louse, sometimes nicknamed "the seam squirrel" for its habit of laying of eggs in the seams of clothing, and Pediculus humanus capitis, or the human head louse. Pthirus pubis (the human pubic louse) is the cause of the condition known as crabs.
Some 20 years ago, David Reed, a coauthor of the new study and a researcher and curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History, found that human head lice are composed of two ancient lineages ...
Head lice cannot fly, and their short, stumpy legs render them incapable of jumping, or even walking efficiently on flat surfaces. [ 2 ] The non-disease-carrying head louse differs from the related disease-carrying body louse ( Pediculus humanus humanus ) in preferring to attach eggs to scalp hair rather than to clothing.
Unlike other parasites, lice live outside of your body, explains Brittany Smirnov, DO, a dermatologist in Delray, Florida. ... Head lice feed on blood several times each day and tend to reside ...
Accordingly, the infestation with head lice is named pediculosis capitis, while this with body lice, pediculosis corporis. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Although pediculosis in humans may properly refer to lice infestation of any part of the body, the term is sometimes used loosely to refer to pediculosis capitis , the infestation of the human head with the ...