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Pubic or Crab Louse

Pubic or Crab Louse:

Identification

  • Adults are 1.5–2.0 mm in length and flattened. They are smaller than body lice and headlice,
  • The body is broad and short, and the front legs are much smaller than the second and third pairs.
  • The first apparent abdominal segment bears a total of six spiracles on its upper surface.
  • Eggs (also called nits) are 0.8 mm by 0.3 mm, oval and usually yellow to white.

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

  • It has three stages: egg, nymph, and adult.
  • Eggs are laid on a hair shaft.
  • Females will lay about 30 eggs during their 3–4 week life span.
  • Eggs hatch after about a week and become nymphs, which look like smaller versions of the adults.
  • The nymphs undergo three molts before becoming adults.
  • Adults are found only on the human host and require human blood to survive.
  • If adults are forced off the host, they will die within 24–48 hours without a blood feeding.
  • The lice are transmitted from person to person most-commonly via sexual contact.

 

Damage and Medical Implications

  • Lice are not known to transmit any disease.
  • Signs and symptoms of this lice include itching in the genital area and visible eggs or crawling lice.
  • Lice are spread through sexual contact and are most common in adults.
  • They cannot live long away from a warm human body.
  • Lice or their eggs are mainly found on hair in the pubic region (occasionally found on the body).
  • Lice may be difficult to find because there may be only a few.
  • Lice often attach themselves to more than one hair and generally do not crawl as quickly as head and body lice.

Credit: SOA-AIDS Amsterdam

  • Lice or their eggs are large enough to be seen with the naked eye.
  • Dogs, cats, and other pets do not play a role in the transmission of human pubic lice.