There are three types of lice that affect humans: head lice, body lice, and crab lice. Lice eggs have a distinctive appearance and can be found on hair or clothing. Lice can be removed through combing or insecticidal treatments.
There are three types of lice that affect humans: head lice, body lice, and crab lice. Lice can lay their eggs on hair shafts or the seams of clothing, depending on the type of louse involved. Lice eggs have a distinctive appearance, but since an infestation sometimes produces no symptoms, close examination of hair or clothing is required to locate them. They are tiny; they can be brown or white, depending on whether they are alive, dead or born; and an end is likely to be missing if the egg has hatched. Live eggs can be popped, even if dead or hatched shells are too dry to pop.
Children often become infested with lice by coming into close contact with previously infested children. The main symptom of head lice, when symptoms are present, is itching. Adults can be infested with crab lice or body lice through close personal contact or poor hygiene, and the nits in these cases are placed on the pubic hair or the seams of clothing, respectively.
Lice go through three stages of development, progressing from louse eggs to nymphs which then grow into adult lice. A female louse lives for about 30 days on a host and lays about 90 eggs during this time. She lays about three eggs a day and they take a week to hatch. Nymphs molt, or shed their skin, several times in eight or nine days before becoming adults. Female adult lice are up to 1/8 inch (3.18 mm) long and males are smaller.
Lice eggs can be in one of three states: alive, dead, or hatched. Live eggs are brown in color and are attached via a cement-like substance to the hair shaft. The egg itself is cylindrical in appearance. A live egg can be popped if crushed with your fingers.
A hatched egg is white in color and one end of the egg is missing where the louse emerged. A hatched egg can be crumpled easily. A dead egg is brown, has a dead louse embryo inside, and has the top of the egg intact. Even a dead egg can be crumpled easily, unlike a live egg.
Lice are found on the hair, especially behind the ears. Crab lice are found in the pubic area or occasionally in the armpit hair, beard, or mustache. Crab lice lay their eggs on hair shafts like head lice, although they more commonly use pubic hair shafts than scalp hair shafts.
Body lice lay their eggs in the seams of clothing and occasionally on body hair. Body lice live on clothing and move to the body when they want to feed. Body lice eggs can be removed from clothing through regular washing.
Lice eggs can have a dandruff-like appearance. Dandruff is easily removed through combing, but the lice eggs are cemented to the hair and are more difficult to remove. Lice can be removed from the hair by combing it regularly with a fine-toothed comb or by using an insecticidal shampoo, cream or lotion available at the pharmacy. If all else fails, lice eggs can be removed by clipping the hair to which they are attached.
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