Louse is the common name for members of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insect. Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a result of developments in phylogenetic research.
The Amblycera are a large superfamily of chewing lice, parasitic on both birds and mammals. The Amblycera are considered the most primitive superfamily of lice.
The crab louse or pubic louse is an insect that is an obligate ectoparasite of humans, feeding exclusively on blood. The crab louse usually is found in the person's pubic hair. Although the louse cannot jump, it can also live in other areas of the body that are covered with coarse hair, such as the perianal area, in men practically the entire body, and in children the eyelashes.
Pediculosis is an infestation of lice. The condition can occur in almost any species of warm-blooded animal, including humans. 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 specific head louse.
The head louse is an obligate ectoparasite of humans.
Pediculus humanus is a species of louse that infects humans. It comprises two subspecies:
A bird louse is any chewing louse of order Phthiraptera which parasitizes warm-blooded animals, especially birds. Bird lice may feed on feathers, skin, or blood. They have no wings, and their biting mouth parts distinguish them from true lice, which suck blood.
Relapsing fever is a vector-borne disease caused by infection with certain bacteria in the genus Borrelia, which is transmitted through the bites of lice or soft-bodied ticks.
The body louse is a hematophagic ectoparasite louse that infests humans. It is one of three lice which infest humans, the other two being the head louse, and the crab louse or pubic louse.
Troctomorpha is one of the three major suborders of Psocodea (barklice, booklice, and parasitic lice), alongside Psocomorpha and Trogiomorpha. There are more than 30 families and 5,800 described species in Troctomorpha. The order includes parasitic lice, which are most closely related to the booklice family Liposcelididae.
Haematopinus is a genus of insects in the suborder Anoplura, the sucking lice. It is the only genus in the family Haematopinidae, known commonly as the ungulate lice. All known species are of importance in veterinary medicine. These lice are some of the most economically important ectoparasites of domestic animals. Species infest many domesticated and wild large mammals, including cattle, horses, donkeys, swine, water buffalo, African buffalo, antelope, zebra, deer, and camels. The species Haematopinus tuberculatus has great importance in the water buffalo breading, since this louse is specific to buffaloes, being the main ectoparasite of the species, with important sanitary and economic burden. The Haematopinus tuberculatus is suspected to be involved in the transmission of diseases, such as anaplasmosis. The parasites are found infesting buffaloes in greater concentrations around the ears, base of horns, side of the neck, around the scrotum or udder, and especially at the tip of the tail.
Use of DNA in forensic entomology refers to the focus in forensics on one of the three aspects of forensic entomology: urban, stored product and medico-criminal entomologies. This article focuses on medico-criminal entomology and how DNA is analyzed with various blood-feeding insects.
Head lice infestation, also known as pediculosis capitis, is the infection of the head hair and scalp by the head louse. Itching from lice bites is common. During a person's first infection, the itch may not develop for up to six weeks. If a person is infected again, symptoms may begin much more quickly. The itch may cause problems with sleeping. Generally, however, it is not a serious condition. While head lice appear to spread some other diseases in Africa, they do not appear to do so in Europe or North America.
Pediculosis corporis is a cutaneous condition caused by body lice that lay their eggs in the seams of clothing.
Pediculosis pubis is an infestation by the pubic louse, Pthirus pubis, a wingless insect which feeds on blood and lays its eggs (nits) on mainly pubic hair. Less commonly, hair near the anus, armpit, beard, eyebrows, moustache, and eyelashes may be involved. It is usually acquired during sex, but can be spread via bedding, clothing and towels, and is more common in crowded conditions where there is close contact between people.
Pthirus gorillae or gorilla louse is a species of parasitic sucking louse that afflicts gorillas. It is found in the African continent, specifically in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Pthirus gorillae and Pthirus pubis are the only known species that belong to the genus Pthirus, often incorrectly spelled as Phthirus. It is suggested that it is transmitted among its hosts by social grooming, shared bedding and sexual contact.
Haematopinus suis, the hog louse, is one of the largest members of the louse suborder Anoplura, which consists of sucking lice that commonly afflict a number of mammals. H. suis is found almost solely on the skin surface of swine, and takes several blood meals a day from its host. H. suis has large claws that enable it to grasp a hog's hair and move around its body. It is easily seen without magnification, being 5–6 millimetres (0.20–0.24 in) long. H. suis has a long, narrow head and long mouthparts adapted for sucking blood. It is the only louse found on swine. H. suis infestation is relatively rare in the US; a 2004 study found that about 14% of German swine farms had H. suis infestations. Due to the frequency of feeding, infected swine become severely irritated, often rubbing themselves to the point of injuring their skin and displacing body hair. Particularly afflicted hogs may become almost completely bald and, in young hogs, the resulting stress can arrest growth, a cause of concern for farmers.
Solenopotes capillatus is known as the little blue cattle louse in the United States and the tubercle-bearing louse in Australia. This louse is the smallest of the sucking lice that occur on cattle and is a relatively immobile species. They are found all around the world in distribution but are restricted mainly to areas with domestic livestock. The little blue cattle louse is most often found on the head of its host, primarily the face and jaw region, but sporadically is found on other body parts. It is relatively immobile so typically will not relocate on its host's body. The louse is spread by direct contact and is considered an ectoparasite.
Echinophthiriidae is a family of lice in the suborder Anoplura, the sucking lice. This family of lice are parasites of seals and the river otter, and are the only insects that infest aquatic hosts.
Pediculus is a genus of sucking lice, the sole genus in the family Pediculidae. Pediculus species are ectoparasites of primates.
