Lice - what is it? Description and photo

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

A large number of people on the planet have experienced head lice. According to legend, the louse appeared from dust, ashes and ashes, and was given to a person so that he would not be lazy and do nothing. But still, only a small part of the people were interested in what these parasites are, and are there any features of their appearance? In this article we will tell you about what a louse looks like, because any enemy, as they say, you need to know in person.

What are they?

Lice are ectoparasites, in other words, creatures that parasitize on the surface of another living organism, that is, they feed and live at its expense. In the case of humans, they live on the hairline of the body. This is especially true of the head, since there is quite a lot of hair and the epidermis of the skin is thin. This allows the parasites to freely and freely feed on the blood of the host. There are times when lice live on pubic hair (in other words, these are pubic lice).

These parasites are classified as insects. They are small in size (0.4-6 mm), with a flattened body, with an enlarged belly. The stabbing mouthparts are adapted to a parasitic way of life. Whenthey pierce the skin, a small amount of saliva is released, which blocks blood clotting, and the bite site is characterized by skin irritation and severe itching. On average, a louse exists for 40 days. However, without food and a host, she can live only about ten days, while the external temperature should not be below 10 ⁰С. The fatal temperature for these parasites is either minus 15 or plus 45 ⁰С.

Getting acquainted with the features of the appearance of parasites

Many are wondering what a louse looks like on the head, and what are its features. Before we begin to list the external signs of this insect and some of its features, you need to know that it moves very quickly (speed 23 cm per minute), which makes it very difficult to notice and catch it. So, lice:

have a grayish and whitish color;
their body length is 2-3mm, there are 6 legs;
easier to see lice eggs - nits that parasites lay in large numbers;
nits are yellowish-white in color, they cling tightly to the hairline (0.7 cm from the skin), so they are difficult to shake off;
they are small, no more than 1.5 millimeters;
usually lice and nits are located on the scalp, but it also happens on the eyebrows and eyelashes;
The average lifespan of these parasites is 4-5 weeks;
outside the head zone, nits can last about two weeks;
lice feed on blood;
itching begins two to four weeks after infection and is provokedthe fact that lice, piercing human skin, secrete their gastric fluid through the salivary glands.

Varieties of parasites

Before considering the danger of lice and nits, it is necessary to find out what their varieties are. There are three in total:

The first and most recognizable species is head lice, which live on the head.
The second is pubic parasites. They live on the hairline located on the human genitals.
And the last look is the clothes louse. As a result of evolution, it developed from the first species. Over time, the body louse has lost the scales on its legs, which make it possible to stay on the hair, so it has adapted to live in the folds of clothing.

Why are parasites dangerous?

Let's first understand what lice are? These are parasites, which in Latin are called pediculus humanus. Hence another name for this disease - pediculosis. Since lice feed on blood, and their mouthparts pierce the top layer of human skin, they can carry various diseases, among which there are also dangerous ones, such as typhus. Lice are parasites that thrive in natural disasters when people stop following basic hygiene rules.

A parasite female can lay several hundred eggs at a time, they are also called nits. Within two weeks, the young generation of lice is removed from them, after which pediculosis occurs. If you start and do not start treatment on time, then within a fewmonths, lice will "eat" the owner.

Routes of infection

The main reason for the appearance of lice in humans is a simple non-compliance with personal hygiene. They are transmitted in the following ways:

through bedding;
headwear and personal items such as combs;
you can also get infected in the pool or open water.

Sometimes lice can localize and lay their eggs in the folds of clothing, where they are very difficult to find. From there, they only come out to feed and then hide again. In such cases, the area of the armpits, groin, back and those places where clothes fit snugly against the body are severely affected.

Where you can get infected:

on long journeys when it is not possible to follow the rules of personal hygiene;
in kindergartens, schools where children are in daily contact with each other;
on seasonal jobs;
where there is a large crowd of people, for example, in hospitals, trains, sanatoriums.

In such places, it is necessary to pay more attention to preventive measures, carrying out periodic disinfestation and deratization of premises. If you follow all the rules, the parasites will stop breeding, and public places will not pose a threat to human he alth.

Symptoms of the disease

With the development of pediculosis on the head, the occipital and temporal regions are most affected. In these places we can observe the following typical signs:

intense itching that leads toscratching the skin to the blood;
affected areas can turn into abscesses and boils in advanced cases;
with prolonged pediculosis, the skin becomes denser and pigmented in places;
visual inspection allows you to see nits on the hair that cling to the paws and are located 1 cm above the hair root.

Risk groups

Considering the main causes of infection with parasites, we can identify the main risk groups:

very often lice on the head are observed in children who attend schools or kindergartens;
pests can be in people from dysfunctional families who do not adhere to basic hygiene rules;
travelers who do not have access to hot water for a long time;
often lice, the photos of which are presented in this article, are picked up by employees of institutions where there is a large flow of visitors who contact them: nurses, doctors, hairdressers, social workers and other services.

Existing treatments

Cure pediculosis, of course, you can. To do this, you need to choose the right drugs that have a good effect on parasites, inhibiting their vital activity and killing. But remember that getting rid of nits and lice for good is a long and difficult process, because it takes a long time to comb them out of your hair with a comb. To achieve the desired result and effectively get rid of lice, it is necessary to repeat the destruction procedure several times. After processinghair needs to be combed out dead parasites.

At the pharmacy you will be given a large selection of drugs that are sold without a prescription. The drugs are very effective, so do not be afraid to resort to them. But it is important to remember that medical drugs also contain hazardous substances, pesticides, so they must be used strictly for their intended purpose, strictly following the instructions and observing all safety measures.

How to get rid of lice at home?

Also, parasites can be removed on their own, without resorting to the help of a specialist. However, sometimes it is still better to seek at least a consultation, especially if a child is sick with pediculosis. As you know, for very young children, many medicines are simply prohibited, so you can’t do without a doctor. You also need to be careful in cases where the child has allergies, asthma or nits settled on the eyebrows or eyelashes.

Things to remember during treatment:

cannot use more than one drug against lice;
must follow his instructions;
do not blow-dry hair after treatment with antiparasitic drugs, as in some cases they may contain flammable substances;
do not use hair conditioners or masks before applying lice medication;
you can not wash your hair after the procedure for two days;
do not use veterinary antiparasitic products manufactured for animals;
do not buy the same medicine more than three times in a row, because thisindicates that it does not help, it is better to take another.

How to treat pediculosis?

In the old days, ineffective treatment against lice was used. Kerosene, tar soap, dichlorvos, vinegar and cranberry juice were used. To date, it is not advised to resort to these methods, since more effective methods of treatment have already been developed. On the pharmaceutical market there are various drugs for the treatment and prevention of pediculosis. These are shampoos and sprays. Here are the most popular remedies:

halloween water;
boric ointment;
shampoo "Pedilin";
drug "Benzyl benzoate";
shampoo "Parasidosis";
sulfur ointment (5%).

Any of these drugs are prescribed by a dermatologist. Before you start using, you need to read the instructions and strictly follow it. All drugs are toxic and have a large number of contraindications (especially for pregnant women, small children, allergies, or people with respiratory pathology).

After the end of the treatment procedure, it is necessary to comb the hair with a metal comb, since not all lice can die during processing. In addition, they can be removed by hand, although this will take much longer. To facilitate the process of removing nits with a comb, olive oil is applied to the hair. It also has anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects.

Dreamed of lice, what is it for?

In the interpretation of many dream books, despiteto the unpleasant associations that lice cause in us, they predict the acquisition of we alth. If in a dream you want to shake them off your hair, then this means that in real life you want to get rid of the hassle and problems. If lice showered your entire head in a dream, and you want to throw them off yourself, it means that in life you were close to making big profits, but because of your indecision you lost this opportunity. However, lice not always seen in a dream are for profit, sometimes there are other interpretations: