How long does the incubation period of lice last and how are they transmitted to humans?

Head lice - These are sedentary and rather vulnerable insects. They have no wings, legs are not adapted for long jumps. But in spite of everything, these insects can compete in the effectiveness and speed of spread with any bloodsuckers. Let's see how long the incubation period lasts. lice, and also how infection with these insects occurs.

How does infection happen?

Infection with lice can occur only in crowded places, most often precisely where the density of residence is quite high. A very rapid spread of these insects occurs in dormitories, camps, kindergartens, communal apartments. In such public places, bloodsuckers feel free - there are inexhaustible sources of saturation.

How do adults spread?

There are several main ways to transmit lice between people:

• with close contact between people, parasites simply crawl from an infected head to a “healthy one" - very often this happens when two are sleeping on the same bed or during contact games between children;
• through personal hygiene items when people use one comb, hair pins, hoops, etc .;
• through clothes - most often it can be hats, hoods and scarves, in general lice appear on those items of clothing that can come in contact with hair and head;
• lice can be infected through bedding - there they remain after the infected person and after they get over on the head another sleeping person;
• Due to the high resistance of these insects to hypoxia, they can be transmitted even when swimming in the same water tank, both artificial and natural.

Remember! Regardless of the degree of infection, each person with these insects becomes a potential carrier. Of course, the more parasites live in the hair, the higher the risk of infection from this person.

Since these parasites are not able to jump, it is impossible to catch them when communicating at a short distance with their carrier. But at the same time, they crawl quite promptly and it will not be difficult for them to manage to move to a "clean" head even with a close second contact.

On a note! Do not be afraid of the lice eaters that live on your pets, since these insects are completely and unconditionally “devoted” to their owner - canine parasites only on dogs, feline parasites only on cats.

There are several quite curious situations, as a result of which lice can appear in a person:

• These bloodsuckers are most interested in people who are often nervous and worried. This is due to the fact that the blood pulsates much more intensively during the period of nervous overstrain, sweat glands begin to work more actively - this also attracts lice;
• during sexual contact with an infected person, you can "get" just two types of parasites - pubic and head lice. This situation will once again confirm the danger of promiscuous sexual activity.

How does infection with nits occur?

In general, nits, being absolutely motionless, are not capable of moving onto the head of another person themselves. Their main carrier is the person himself. They can be "acquired" only in the case of using personal items of the infected:

• a comb and hats, on which hairs with sticky eggs remain;
• towels and bed linen;
• clothes, etc.

How to avoid infection?

Based on the foregoing, we can formulate the main preventive measures:

• Do not use other people's household and hygiene items;
• avoid close contact with people who have obvious signs of head lice;
• Do not swim in crowded places of the homeless and other persons leading an asocial lifestyle.
  

  Attention! if you find out that in the kindergarten that your child, a situation of infection with lice was established, it is better to hold your child for several days at home. This will save your family from unnecessary trouble.

How fast will parasites be active?

If we talk about the incubation period of lice, as a disease, then as such it does not exist. Bloodsuckers begin to bite a person immediately after being on his head - this happens literally in the first hours, since they are able to exist without food for long.

On a note! However, the first bites are not yet manifestations of pediculosis. In addition, the activity of two or three individuals a person may not even feel.

You can really experience the appearance of lice after a month. By that time, larvae will have time to develop, which will begin to “help” their adult counterparts. And if no one will interfere with lice, then after three weeks they will be able to bring out the second generation, the appearance of which will already be quite noticeable - there will be a serious itch.

Therefore, if we consider the incubation period based on the above events, then it can be equal to three to four weeks. After this time, a person will appear all symptoms of lice:

• itching
• skin irritation;
• nits;
• pustular inflammation;
• potential danger to other people.

On a note! This incubation period may have other time frames. For example, in winter, lice will develop much more intensively and the full cycle of their reproduction can take 16 days. In warm latitudes, insects develop a little longer.

Biological Incubation Period

Now you should consider the incubation period lice and nits as the time during which their development takes place. So, the louse lays eggs, from which nymphs subsequently appear. Outwardly, they are similar to adults, but they are much smaller and are not able to reproduce at this stage of their development. The source of satiety for them is human blood. Before becoming an adult louse, a nymph molt three times.

On a note! Lice compensate for their short lifespan with a high breeding rate and a relatively short stage of development.

The developmental period and incubation period of lice will be as follows:

1. Depending on the ambient temperature, the ripening period of the nits can be 5-8 days. The optimal conditions for them are: average air humidity, air temperature + 31 ° C. If the thermometer crosses the mark at + 40 ° C or -22 ° C, the development of eggs will be stopped.
2. The larval development stage can last from 1 day, provided that the ambient temperature will fluctuate within + 30 ° C, and reach 10 days at a temperature of about + 10 ° C.
3. Further, the larva turns into a nymph of the first age and it develops over 5 days.
4. From the stage of the second age of the nymph to the stage of the adult, another 8 days pass, and it turns into an adult louse.

After the first meal, the imago gains the ability to multiply. Mating, as a rule, occurs on the first or second day after the nymph has become an adult. The female begins to lay several eggs the day after fertilization.

On a note! In this case, only the air temperature will affect the maturation period of the eggs - the frequency of shampooing will not have any effect on this.

The life span of an adult insect does not exceed 46 days. During this period, the female manages to give life to 140 of her descendants.

Now you know how lice are transmitted and how long their incubation period takes. Be vigilant and try to avoid close contact with people who have clear signs of head lice.