Pediculosis is an infestation of lice -- which are parasitic insects -- on the bodies of humans. The condition is more commonly known as head lice, body lice or pubic lice. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) is a detailed description of known diseases and injuries. ... The following codes are used with International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... // A00-A79 - Bacterial infections, and other intestinal infectious diseases, and STDs (A00-A09) Intestinal infectious diseases (A00) Cholera (A01) Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers (A010) Typhoid fever (A02) Other Salmonella infections (A03) Shigellosis (A04) Other bacterial intestinal infections (A040) Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli infection (A045) Campylobacter enteritis (A046) Enteritis due to Yersinia... // A00-A79 - Bacterial infections, and other intestinal infectious diseases, and STDs (A00-A09) Intestinal infectious diseases (A00) Cholera (A01) Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers (A010) Typhoid fever (A02) Other Salmonella infections (A03) Shigellosis (A04) Other bacterial intestinal infections (A040) Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli infection (A045) Campylobacter enteritis (A046) Enteritis due to Yersinia... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) is a detailed description of known diseases and injuries. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... Suborders Anoplura (sucking lice) Rhyncophthirina Ischnocera (avian lice) Amblycera (chewing lice) Lice (singular: louse) (order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 species of wingless parasitic insects. ... A parasite is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life in or on the living tissue of a host organism and which causes harm to the host without immediately killing it. ... Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ...

Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestation is most frequent on children aged 3-10 and their families. Females get head lice more often than males, and in the United States, African-Americans have head lice less often. The reasons for these two facts are not known. The head louse Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are one of the many varieties of sucking lice (singular louse) specialized to live on different areas of various animals. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...

Head lice are spread through direct head-to-head contact with an infested person. Body lice are spread through direct contact with the body, clothing or other personal items of a person already carrying lice. Pubic lice are most often spread by intimate contact with an infested person. Head lice occur on the head hair, body lice on the clothing, and pubic lice mainly on the hair near the groin. Human lice do not occur on pets or other animals. Lice do not have wings and cannot jump.

From each egg or "nit" may hatch one nymph that will grow and develop to the adult louse. Full-grown lice are about the size of a sesame seed. Lice feed on blood once or more often each day by piercing the skin with their tiny needle-like mouthparts. Lice cannot burrow into the skin.

The head louse (Pediculus humanus var. capitis)

Head lice and body lice (Pediculus humanus) are similar in appearance, although the head louse is often smaller. Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis), on the other hand, are quite distinctive. They have shorter bodies and pincer-like claws, making them look like crabs (hence, the nickname for pubic lice: "crabs"). Pediculus humanus var capitis AKA head louse; public domain from http://phil. ... Pediculus humanus var capitis AKA head louse; public domain from http://phil. ... ... Phthirus pubis Pubic lice (Phthirus pubis), also known as crabs , are one of the many varieties of lice (singular louse) specialized to live on different areas of different animals. ... Superfamilies Dromiacea Homolodromioidea Dromioidea Homoloidea Eubrachyura Raninoidea Cyclodorippoidea Dorippoidea Calappoidea Leucosioidea Majoidea Hymenosomatoidea Parthenopoidea Retroplumoidea Cancroidea Portunoidea Bythograeoidea Xanthoidea Bellioidea Potamoidea Pseudothelphusoidea Gecarcinucoidea Cryptochiroidea Pinnotheroidea * Ocypodoidea * Grapsoidea * An asterisk (*) marks the crabs included in the clade Thoracotremata. ...

The most common symptom of lice infestation is itching. Excessive scratching of the infested areas can cause sores, which may become infected. In addition, body lice can be a vector for louse-borne typhus, louse-borne relapsing fever or trench fever. Traditionally in medicine, a vector is an organism that does not cause disease itself but which spreads infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Relapsing_fever. ... Trench fever is a moderately serious disease, transmitted by lice, that infected more than a million soldiers during World War I and World War II. The disease persists among the homeless. ...

Lice on the hair and body are usually treated with medicated shampoos or cream rinses. Nit combs can be used to remove lice and nits from the hair. Laundering clothes using high heat can eliminate body lice. Efforts to treat should focus on the hair or body (or clothes), and not on the home environment.

Some lice have become resistant to certain (but not all) insecticides used in commercially available anti-louse products. A physician or pharmacist can prescribe or suggest treatments. Because empty eggs of head lice may remain glued on the hair long after the lice have been eliminated, treatment should be considered only when live (crawling) lice are discovered. Children with nits should not be sent home from school.

See also

• Head louse
• Body louse
• Crab louse
• Nitpicking
• Ball Scratching

The head louse Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are one of the many varieties of sucking lice (singular louse) specialized to live on different areas of various animals. ... The body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus) is a louse which infests humans. ... Crab lice (singular, louse), scientific name Phthirus pubis and commonly called crabs due to their resemblance to the crab, are one of three kinds of human lice in the large group of lice families, the others being head lice and body lice, which live in clothing. ... This article is about physical nitpicking, for the sport, see Nitpicking (sport). ...

External links

• National Pediculosis Association
• http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/headlice.html
• http://www.healthcare.ubc.ca/lice/intro.html
• http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;110/3/638