What do clothing lice look like and where do they come from? - briefly
Clothing lice are tiny, wingless insects measuring 2–4 mm, gray‑brown, with a flattened body and six legs designed to cling to fabric fibers. They spread through infested garments, bedding, or luggage, commonly transferred between individuals in close‑contact settings such as schools, prisons, or shelters.
What do clothing lice look like and where do they come from? - in detail
Clothing‑dwelling lice (Pediculus humanus corporis) are small, wingless insects about 2–4 mm long. The adult body is flattened, elongated, and covered with fine, gray‑white hairs that give a mottled appearance. Antennae consist of five segments, each bearing sensory setae. Legs end in claws adapted for grasping fabric fibers. Nymphs resemble miniature adults, lacking fully developed wings and showing lighter coloration. Eggs (nits) are oval, 0.8 mm in length, and firmly attached to seams or folds of garments by a cement‑like substance; they appear white or pale yellow until hatching.
These parasites inhabit the seams, pockets, and cuffs of clothing rather than the human body itself. They feed by moving to exposed skin, typically the lower abdomen or hips, where they pierce the epidermis with a short proboscis and ingest blood. Feeding periods last several minutes and may occur multiple times a day. The life cycle proceeds as follows:
- Egg (nit): 6–10 days incubation at 20–30 °C.
- Nymphal stages: three instars, each lasting 3–5 days; nymphs molt between stages.
- Adult: emerges after approximately 9–12 days from egg; lives 30–40 days, capable of laying 6–10 eggs per day.
Body lice originate from infestations of the human head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) that migrate to clothing when host hygiene deteriorates. Poor laundering practices, infrequent changing of underclothing, and crowded living conditions facilitate the transition. The insects survive on the host’s blood but require the fabric environment for egg deposition and protection from desiccation. Transmission occurs when infested clothing contacts another person, allowing lice to move to the new host’s garments and subsequently to their skin.
Control measures focus on eliminating the clothing habitat: washing garments at ≥50 °C, drying on high heat, or applying a 1 % permethrin solution to fabric. Regular changing of underwear and thorough personal hygiene interrupt the life cycle and prevent re‑infestation.