Pubic Lice
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What is it?
- Pubic lice (pediculosis pubis) are oblong, very small parasites that live on the body
- They usually prefer to live in pubic hair or in hair surrounding the anus
- A hairy person may find the lice in hair on the thighs, abdominal area, arm pits, chest, and beard
- Lice are active and can travel quickly
How do I get it?
- They are transmitted by close personal contact such as during sexual intercourse or genital to genital contact, sharing clothing, or bed linen
- The chances of getting lice from an infected partner with one sexual exposure are 90%.
Symptoms?
- Often people complain of itching when the lice are present
- Lice feed about 5 times a day by piercing the skin with their claws, injecting irritating saliva, and sucking blood
- Lice feces may be seen on your skin or inside of your underwear and look like rust-colored spots
Complications?
Lice can cause a great deal of itching and scratching can cause inflammation and a secondary bacterial infection.
Treatment:
- Shampoos or lotions are available to treat lice
- Typically lotions are used; the lotion is applied to the affected area and washed off in 10 minutes
- Pubic lice lay eggs on the shaft of the hair (nits). Nits also need to be manually removed from the hair shaft.
- All clothing, bath towels, and bedding should be laundered in hot water and dried on hot dryer setting. If you have clothing or bedding that should not be washed, it can be placed in a plastic bag for 3 weeks, the lice can not live off the body for longer than 3 weeks.
Prevention:
- Avoid contact with a person infected with lice and do not share clothing, towels, or bedding
