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When not attached to a human, they are unable to live beyond three days. [5] Humans can also become infected with two other lice – the body louse and the crab louse. To make the diagnosis, live lice must be found. [5] Using a comb can help with detection. [5] Empty eggshells (known as nits) are not sufficient for the diagnosis. [5]
Aside from reproduction, nymph behavior is similar to the adult. Like adults, nymphs feed also only on human blood (hematophagia), and cannot survive long away from a host. [1] Outside their hosts lice cannot survive more than 24 hrs. [23] The time required for head lice to complete their nymph development to the imago lasts for 12–15 days. [1]
Some animals are known to host up to fifteen different species, although one to three is typical for mammals, and two to six for birds. Lice generally cannot survive for long if removed from their host. [5] If their host dies, lice can opportunistically use phoresis to hitch a ride on a fly and attempt to find a new host. [6]
Head lice feed on blood several times each day and tend to reside close to your scalp, which explains the itchiness and why it’s sometimes so difficult to tell that you have head lice.
Head lice are most common among young children — 6 million to 12 million lice outbreaks occur yearly in children between 3 and 11 in the US — though adults are vulnerable to head lice as well.
Adults live for up to 30 days. [6] Crab lice feed exclusively on blood, and take a blood meal 4–5 times daily. Outside the host they can survive for 24–48 hours. Crab lice are transmitted from person to person most commonly via sexual contact, although fomites (bedding, clothing) may play a minor role in their transmission. [7]
Adults can live for about thirty days, but if they are separated from their host they will die within two days. [12] If the conditions are favorable, the body louse can reproduce rapidly. After the final molt, female and male lice will mate immediately. A female louse can lay up to 200–300 eggs during her lifetime. [13]
Head lice are quite common among children since they like to play with head-to-head contact, which lets these little parasites spread. Not everyone knows this, which sometimes can cause ...
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