What do clothing lice and their bites look like? - briefly
Clothing lice are tiny, gray‑brown insects about 2–4 mm long, with a broader, flatter body than head lice. Their bites manifest as small, red, itchy papules or clusters, sometimes with a central punctum and a raised wheal.
What do clothing lice and their bites look like? - in detail
Clothing lice, also called body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis), are tiny, wing‑less insects about 2–4 mm long. Their bodies are elongated, reddish‑brown, and covered with fine hairs. Each adult has six legs ending in claw‑like tarsi that cling to fabric fibers. Nymphs resemble adults but are smaller and lighter in color, becoming darker after each molt. Eggs (nits) are oval, about 0.8 mm, and are firmly glued to seams, cuffs, or folds of clothing with a cement‑like substance; they appear as pale, oval specks near the fabric surface.
Bite lesions produced by these parasites are distinctive. After a few hours, a red papule forms at the feeding site, usually 2–5 mm in diameter. The center may be slightly raised and may contain a tiny puncture mark where the louse inserted its proboscis. Multiple bites often appear in a linear or clustered pattern along exposed skin such as the waist, hips, thighs, and upper arms, reflecting the insect’s movement along clothing seams. The lesions are typically pruritic; scratching can cause secondary erythema or small erosions. In some cases, a thin, pale halo surrounds the red spot, indicating a mild inflammatory response. Persistent infestations may lead to chronic itching, excoriations, and secondary bacterial infection, especially if lesions become ulcerated.