Pubic louse (ploshchita) is one of three types of insects that parasitize on the human body. This species acts as the causative agent of such an ailment as pubic lice (phthiasis). Dentists often settle in the area of hair growth on the genitals, and in addition, in the groin. In addition, they can be found on the pubis or scrotum, as well as in the perineum or near the anus.
Other parts of the body
It also happens that parasites move to the hair surface of the abdomen and armpits. In even rarer situations, they can infect eyebrows with eyelashes. In pubic lice, the paws are designed to move along the hairs having a triangular section. It is these hairs that cover all of the above places on the body of each person. As for the scalp, it is covered with hair that has a circular cross section. The plaques cannot hold onto this type of hair; therefore, they cannot parasitize there.
Infection pathways
Healthy people can become infected with pubic lice (pictured) from patients. Often something similar happens during sexual contact, within which lice can crawl from body to body. But the usual household way of transmission is not excluded, this happens through the use of one towel or bed linen. If you wear the clothes of an infected person, you can also become infected with these parasites. A visit to the sauna along with a bath or pool leads to similar consequences. In this regard, it should be noted that the influence of water does absolutely no harm to the pubic lice, and besides, they swim perfectly.
Any interaction
Thus, in general, these lice from patients to healthy people can crawl within any close interaction. The occurrence of pubic lice occasionally occurs in dormitories, and in addition, in barracks and other places where people are forced to live crowded, where maintaining the necessary level of hygiene is not possible.
Parents are also able to infect their child, especially if, for example, he sleeps with them in the same bed. There are cases in which newborns were infected with such lice from their mother during childbirth. As for young children, they have pubic lice, as a rule, affect the area of the eyebrows and eyelashes.
What do the platens look like?
Pubic louse (photo above) is extremely small in itself, about 1.6 millimeters in length, but sometimes it can be a little more. This parasite has a brownish color, and among the hair it is completely inconspicuous. How pubic lice look is interesting to many.
The body of the parasite is shortened, wide and equipped with powerful legs. Immediately under the microscope, the planks look like crabs, as they have an almost rhomboid body, which has a wide thoracic segment. The body of lice, upon a detailed examination, sharply narrows to the back of the abdomen.
Low mobility of an individual
Ditons themselves are inactive. In the event that the louse has fixed itself close to the skin at the base of the hair, it may not change its location for a very long time, and therefore it can sometimes be mistaken for a mole. But such a lifestyle does not prevent her from multiplying very quickly. The parasite in its short life manages to lay many eggs. Eggs (they are called nits), have a fusiform shape, they are almost transparent in appearance and reach 0.5 millimeters in length. Female lice firmly attach nits to hairs by using a sticky secretion.
What do they eat?
Pubic lice feed exclusively on human blood; as a rule, they bite the body about twice a day. During the bite, the parasite injects a special enzyme into the wound along with its saliva, which prevents blood clotting, which leads to the appearance of itching. Without receiving the blood of its breadwinner, a louse will not be able to withstand twenty-four hours, however, outside the human body, a louse can fall into a state of suspended animation, which will last several months.
Pubic lice in women appear as often as in men.
Parasite life cycle
In the stage of nits, the platens stay for about a week, then larvae emerge from the egg, which survive three molts in thirteen days, eventually becoming an adult insect. Larvae differ from adults only in small size, lack of ability to reproduce, while they are also able to bite a person.
After the third molt is completed, the insects become sexually mature. Adult lice are half a day long enough to feed on blood and have time to mate with one of the individuals of the opposite sex. Almost immediately after this process, the fertilized female lays the first eggs. On average, adult females lay up to three eggs per day and manage to produce up to fifty pieces in their entire lives. Adult insects live, as a rule, thirty days, and sometimes there are more - about forty.
Symptoms of pubic lice in humans
The incubation period (the time period when the parasites have already settled on the human body, but have not yet shown signs) of phthyriasis lasts approximately one month. Then the following symptoms occur:
- The appearance of itching in the genital area (or in any other place suitable for the parasite), which intensifies at night. In some people, this symptom proceeds almost imperceptibly, especially in the first stage of infection, but others, on the contrary, may experience an unbearable desire to scratch themselves.
- The occurrence of a characteristic rash. In this case, the appearance of numerous red dots, vesicles and bluish spots on the skin, periodically appearing and disappearing. Blue spots can occur due to lice saliva, which enters the wound, and hemoglobin breaks down under its influence. In this case, the decay products can be painted in blue, the size of such spots reaches three millimeters.
After a short time, the following symptoms join this symptomatology:
- The appearance of peeling and dermatitis along with an eczema-like skin condition. Similar symptoms appear as a result of combing the bite area. Microbes easily penetrate through the damaged skin cover, and, in addition, secondary infections form, in connection with this, the skin very often becomes inflamed at the site of bites.
- Observation of changes in the appearance and general condition of the skin, within which, under the rash, the cover can thicken, changing its natural color and becoming wrinkled and rough.
How to recognize pubic louse in women (photos can also be found on the web)? Often, infected people notice the presence of nits on the genital hairs, which are felt as small nodules. It is not difficult to detect adult insects that look like fixed points. Getting on the body of a certain area, over time, these insects can spread to other areas. In this case, parasites can crawl on their own, or the person himself carries them during combing bites. For example, scratching the genital area, a person can touch his eyes, and nits, in turn, crawl out from under the nails on the eyelashes, causing blepharitis, which is an inflammation of the edges of the eyelids.
Diagnosis and treatment
In case of suspicion of infection with pubic lice, it is necessary to undergo an examination by a venereologist and a dermatologist. It is quite difficult to determine the diagnosis yourself, since the symptoms of phthyriasis are often similar to signs of other diseases. In addition, other sexually transmitted pathologies are often found in infected people, in this regard, in any case, a complete and comprehensive examination cannot be neglected.
In the clinic, for diagnosis, a Wood lamp with video dermatoscopy is used, sometimes a routine examination by a medical specialist is enough. Ways to combat pubic lice are divided into mechanical and chemical techniques. There is a folk technique.
How is pubic lice treated?
Mechanical therapy
An easy way to get rid of lice is to completely shave the infected area. Such a measure will deprive insects of any opportunity to parasitize on the body. Densers are not able to stay on hairless skin. To completely eliminate insects, total shaving of the hair on the infected area is required for several months.
It will not be possible to remove parasites from the body simply by hand or to clean nits from hairs using nails, since all lice are too small, it is impossible to see all of them. At the same time, the nits themselves hold on to the hair very tightly, so scrubbing them does not work either. The use of a special anti-pedicule comb, so effective in combing lice from the hair of the head, is also powerless in this case.
Consider remedies for pubic lice.
Use of chemicals
Modern medications in the form of sprays and shampoos, designed to combat phthyroidism, make it possible to get rid of lice and nits in just two applications. Well-proven remedies are, for example, Paranit sprays with Nyuda, a medicinal emulsion called Lindane. Pyrethrin-based drugs are also suitable. Among the commonly used drugs that can always be bought on the domestic market, it is also worth mentioning: Pedilin, Nittifor and Anti-Bit. All these funds contain one active ingredient, in connection with this, during their treatment, they need to re-treat the infected area after ten days.
Among other things, there are combined means that extend the life of the main component, so that re-processing is not required when using them, for example, spray-spray. It is interesting to note that before the appearance of the above drugs, a soap-kerosene mixture was widely used along with sulfur and tar ointment. True, to carry out therapy with them is not as convenient and comfortable as with new means.
Alternative methods of treatment
Among folk remedies, hydrogen peroxide with vinegar, hellebore, kerosene, tansy decoction and methylated spirit is especially known. But it should be noted that some of these funds are unsafe for health, while others can cause discomfort in the form of burning and itching on the skin. But, unfortunately, you can’t get rid of pubic lice with ordinary soap and water, since such lice can endure the long-term effects of moisture and standard hygiene products absolutely painlessly.
After treating the skin with drugs, itching from bites can persist for some time, but this can not be considered a sign of treatment failure, since this is only a residual phenomenon that will certainly disappear after a few days.
In parallel with the treatment of parasites on the body, it is necessary to wash linens and clothes with the use of high temperatures, and all things should be ironed carefully. Clothes with bedding can also be processed using special tools that help kill insects with their eggs, such as A-Par aerosol.
We examined the symptoms and treatment of pubic lice.