Symptoms of appearance and means for the destruction of body lice

The body louse is considered a rather specific parasite that evolved from head lice, which was able to change its "habits" and settled not on the body, but on the clothes of a person. This insect cannot exist on the body for the simple reason that its paws are simply not adapted to cling to hair. Therefore, even if a clothes louse accidentally appears on the head, then for a long time it will not stay there.

The enemy must know in person

Body lice are very similar to the head lice. They have the same small body, whose length reaches about 3 mm, and a slightly elongated abdomen, painted in light gray or light yellow.

The larvae of body lice look very similar to adults and differ only in size - 1.5-2 mm. During their development, they survive three molts and only after that reach full maturity.
The eggs of these insects, like other lice, are called nits. Their shell is covered with an adhesive substance, with the help of which they are quite firmly held on clothes and remove them mechanically is very problematic. The shape of the eggs is elongated, about 0.5 mm in size. Due to their small size, nits are very reliably hidden from the human eye, and it is impossible to detect them by accident.

The process of reproduction, as well as normal life activity, in head lice can occur under certain conditions - a temperature of + 30 ° C is considered optimal, and when the thermometer is lowered to + 15 ° C and below, the development of nits is stopped. If the air temperature drops below -13 ° C or exceeds + 60 ° C, then the lice are guaranteed to die.
Female individuals can survive no more than 45 days, while males live even less, often less than a month. But the female body lice of this period is enough to lay 100-140 eggs (about 4 nits per day). When the nits leave the egg, it drinks blood once, after which it sheds and immediately becomes a nymph of the first age. After 5 days, she experiences a second molt and turns into a nymph of the second age. The third time, it changes the chitin cover after another 8 days and after that it becomes an adult insect. At the optimum air temperature in just 16 days, the former egg will produce new offspring, that is, the hatching nymph will have time to mature and bring in new nits. And if you do not take measures, then in two months the colony of body lice will increase its number by several hundred times.

What is bladder lice?

Dressed head lice is somewhat different from other diseases in that lice appear and live not on the body, but on clothing. But at the same time, they cannot exist without humans, since the only source of saturation for these parasites is blood. The clothes louse spends almost all of its time in the folds and seams of clothes, where it reproduces. And upon the onset of hunger, they quickly move to the wearer's body, carry out the nutrition process and again hide in underwear.

A well-fed body louse is very easy to distinguish from a hungry one - the color of her abdomen becomes dark, and she herself resembles this period flea. But unlike the latter, the parasite does not jump.

How to prevent infection?

In fact, to prevent the development of clothes lice is quite simple, the main thing in this matter is to know the ways of its spread, which include:

• bodily contact with the carrier, in which lice can move onto the clothes of a healthy person, and, since these small insects are able to move at a speed of about 20 cm per minute, the contact should be quite long;
  
• get infected lice it is possible in crowded places, which include public transport, especially at rush hour, when contact occurs most closely;
• kindergartens and schools are also no exception, as children are in contact with each other quite actively and do not particularly pay attention to the appearance of their interlocutor;
• spontaneous markets for the sale of used clothing, or simply second-hand clothes, can become a real hotbed of linen lice, since these things do not always undergo the necessary sanitary treatment.

And in order not to become infected with clothes lice, you should take into account all the above methods of its distribution, be extremely careful in crowded places and try not to buy clothes, especially underwear, in potentially dangerous places.

How to identify parasites?

The appearance of body lice will be “marked” by the following symptoms:

• traces after bites, which, with a small amount, heal themselves after 4 days;
• itching appears in the lesion sites, both on the site of the bite itself and in the surrounding area;
• an allergic reaction may occur, which will be accompanied by a rash on the body or more serious manifestations - fever, digestive system disorder, headaches, nausea;
• with a large number of bites, bluish spots may appear on the skin;
• persistent itching can lead to nervous disorders and insomnia.

On a note! Children can react especially painfully to bites of body lice. They will often begin to cry for no particular reason, sleep poorly and get nervous for minor reasons.

As practice shows, most often it is the symptoms that indicate the occurrence of body lice, rather than found insects. They hide so well in the folds of clothes that if you do not set a goal, then it is almost impossible to see them on any thing.

It becomes clear that itching, which appeared in places of bites, is the main symptom of clothes lice. The insect bites the skin, saturates with blood and injects an anesthetic secret, which prevents blood coagulation.

If the fight against these parasites is not started in time, then pediculosis can cause the development of various skin diseases. Bites will develop into pustules and boils, and in some cases, pyoderma may develop. Due to severe itching, a person will comb the skin and with a severe lesion, this may well be the root cause of excoriation.

Most often, bites of body lice will be localized in places where the clothes fit to the body:

• waist;
• shoulders
• upper back
• lower back;
• neck;
• armpits.

But bites can occur in other parts of the body that are not covered with hair.

Important! Dressed head lice became the main source of development of relapsing fever and typhus, which during the war took thousands of lives. Today, these diseases are mainly affected by people in Africa and Asia, where sanitary conditions leave much to be desired.

How to deal with these insects?

In order to get rid of body lice, serious measures should be taken, the list of which includes both the processing of things and the use of body products. The whole range of activities will look as follows:

• collect all infected items and wash them automatically at the maximum allowable temperature. In this case, it is necessary to add one of the modern insecticidal agents;
  

  Advice! If you do not have the opportunity to do this, then it is recommended to hand over clothes to dry cleaning.

• treat the body with a pediculicidal preparation and wash it off after the time specified in the instructions;
• after carrying out these procedures, it is necessary to put on clean clothes, and previously infected and laundered items to hang on the balcony and leave in direct sunlight for two weeks.

Recommendation! It is very important not to put the washed items next to those that have not yet been processed.

Body Treatment

To combat body lice on the body, you need to choose a reliable tool. These include shampoos, lotions and sprays:

• Pair Plus;
• Nittifor;
  
• Nit free.

They must be applied to the body, paying special attention to the affected areas, it is desirable to wrap in polyethylene (you can use cling film) and rinse off after a certain time. In various preparations, a period of time from 10 to 45 minutes can be indicated.

On a note! TO folk remedies for body lice relate vinegar and kerosene, but they can cause burns on the skin, and the effectiveness of such drugs is much lower than special ones.

How to handle clothes?

Previously, to process clothes from lice, they used the same kerosene. It was added to the water in which the laundry was soaked, then this was boiled, after which the lice were guaranteed to die. However, this method has a number of negative features:

• it is undesirable to add kerosene to the washing machine;
• when washing with hands, it is necessary to wear rubber gloves, since the solution can cause a negative skin reaction;
• during boiling, kerosene vapors evaporate, which can lead to poisoning;
• removing the smell of this substance in clothes is quite problematic.

Therefore, today, in order for dead lice to die, they choose easier to use and highly effective anti-pediculicidal drugs:

1. Medifox. The active substance is permethrin, which is harmful to insects and relatively safe for humans.
2. NOC. Antiparasitic agent that has an anti-pedicular and insecticidal effect. Paralyzes insects, disrupting the permeability of the membranes of their nerve cells.
3. Bubble. A shampoo that is effective against head and body lice.
4. Pedilin. Contains malathion and tetramethrin. Penetrates insects through the chitinous cover and causes their poisoning.
5. Karbofos. Nerve insecticide. It is highly efficient, but its price is also quite high.

Important! Remember that body treatment must be carried out simultaneously with the processing of things. This will negate the risk of reinfection.

Natural remedies

The following recipes can come in handy for clothes lice, which did not have time to develop to a serious scale. These methods are simple and, as practice shows, quickly give a positive result.

1. Repellent plants are very often used to combat various parasites and, in the case of louse, they also come to the rescue. According to observations, these insects do not tolerate the smell of tansy, so it is recommended to hang tufts of grass in places where the patient’s clothes will be aired after treatment. Additionally, this plant can be decomposed in cabinets with bedding and underwear.
2. All the same tansy can be used to treat the body of the infected. A decoction is prepared from it, which is used as a rinse and used after bathing.
3. If you do not want to use special drugs to heal wounds on the skin that have appeared as a result of bites, then in this case you can also prepare an effective remedy yourself. To do this, you need to combine a baby cream or melted pork fat with a mixture of angelica powder and rhizomes of white hellebore in a ratio of 4: 1.The resulting ointment lubricates the affected areas until they are completely restored.

Since the main source of food for body lice is human blood, then with a prolonged absence of the carrier they die. For this reason, head lice is the most common among people who lead an asocial lifestyle and, for a number of reasons, are unable to monitor the cleanliness of their clothes and observe personal hygiene rules. At the same time, it is precisely this specificity of the existence of this type of louse that makes the fight with them often simple and quick, when with little infection it is enough to only limit the access of parasites to the body of the wearer, wash the clothes in automatic mode at the maximum permissible water temperature and hang it in frost or scorching sun. And at the same time it is not necessary to use any chemical preparations.
We hope that we have helped you figure out how to get body lice. If you approach this issue with all seriousness, then you can get rid of annoying insects in just one day. And do not forget that it is always easier to prevent their appearance than to fight them after. Therefore, try to avoid contact with untidy people and do not sleep in dubious places. Observe hygiene and teach your children.