Merck Manuals, an online medical library, reports that lice are tiny insects that infest the skin. Lice usually spread through person-to-person contact, but can also be spread by shared clothing, sheets or other personal objects. The primary symptom of this infestation is severe itching of the skin. There are three main types of lice: body, hair and pubic lice.
Head Lice
The scientific name for a head louse is Pediculus humanus capitis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 6 to 12 million people are infested with head lice annually in the United States. Head lice infestation is most common among children in preschool and elementary school, who sometimes infect people in their households. Head lice are most commonly spread through head-to-head contact; much less common is transmission through clothing, brushes and combs, or furniture. There is no association between poor hygiene and head lice infestation.
Body Lice
According to Merck Manuals, unlike head lice, body lice most often infest people with poor hygiene. Body lice infestation especially affects people in very dense living conditions or crowded institutions. This type of lice is usually spread through contact with contaminated bedding and clothing. In contrast to head lice, body lice can transmit typhus, relapsing fever and trench fever. The body louse is about 50 percent larger than the head louse. However, Science Daily reports that genetic studies by scientists have proven that the head louse and body louse are actually of the same species, despite their different appearance.
Pubic Lice
Merck Manuals reports that pubic lice, also called "crabs," are the smallest of the three types of lice. Medline Plus, a medical encyclopedia sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, notes that though pubic lice infest the pubic hair, they can also infest armpit hair and eyebrows. Being sexually active, having multiple sexual partners, having intimate contact with someone already infested, and sharing sheets or blankets with an infected person all increase a person's risk of contracting pubic lice. Medline Plus also adds that some women have gotten crabs from trying on bathing suits in a store.
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