Lice are tiny wingless insects that live on the human body and drink blood. The lice produce many eggs, also called nits, which cling to hair until hatching. Three types of lice exist and live on specific areas of the body, including the scalp, the body and the pubic area. Lice are highly contagious, spreading easily from person-to-person. A head lice infestation does not signify poor hygiene or a low socioeconomic level, but body lice typically infest individuals with poor hygiene, according to the Merck Manuals. Treatment for lice includes using specially medicated shampoos to kill the lice and a fine-tooth comb to remove the nits.
Casual Contact
Lice do not hop, jump or fly, but they can crawl. The lice can transfer from person-to-person by casual contact with a person infested with lice. Head lice commonly move from head-to-head through playing, hugging or other direct contact. Children commonly transfer head lice between each other and caretakers or family members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Direct body contact with a person infested with body lice may transfer the lice to another person. Body lice--more common in dirty or crowded living conditions--are larger than pubic or head lice and easily wash away with regular bathing.
Shared Items
Lice are parasitic, but can live up to a week off a human host. Nits hatch about a week after an adult louse lays it. Adult lice and nits may transfer to personal objects, such as clothing, hats, combs, towels and bed linens. Infestations of lice may also occur in furniture, such as sofa, or in stuffed animals. Sharing any of these items with a person with lice can cause the lice to transfer to another host. Because the lice crawl, items in shared space can transfer from one person's belongings to another. This is common in areas such as school where the coat of one child hangs on a hook beside another coat or shared locker space. Trying on clothing at a store may also cause lice to transfer. Women trying on swimsuits are at risk for getting pubic lice in this manner.
Sexual Contact
Pubic lice, also referred to as crabs, is a sexually transmitted infection. The lice transfer during sexual contact and begin to infest the hair in the pubic area, but can also infect coarse hairs of the chest, eyebrows or eyelashes. Pubic lice, common in sexually active adolescents, may also transfer to the pelvic area using contaminated objects on the genitals, such as toilet paper and toilet seats, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Pubic lice in young children may signify sexual abuse, according to MayoClinic.com.
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