louse

[lows] (pl. lice)

any of various grayish, wingless insects parasitic on birds and mammals, including humans; they are usually one sixteenth to one sixth of an inch (0.15 to 0.4 cm) long. Lice are classified into two orders, Anoplura (the sucking lice) and Mallophaga (the bird lice or biting lice). The causal organisms of typhus, relapsing fever, trench fever, and other diseases are transmitted by the bites of lice. The most important species parasitic on humans are Pediculus humanus capitis, the head louse, which attaches itself to the hairs of the head; P. humanus corporis, the body or clothes louse; and Phthirus pubis, the crab louse, which lives in the pubic hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows. Endemics of head lice infestations occur most frequently in school children. Pubic lice are often sexually transmitted. Louse infestation is called pediculosis.

louse

, pl.

lice

(lows, līs),

Common name for members of the ectoparasitic insect orders Anoplura (sucking lice) and Mallophaga (biting lice). Important species are Felicola subrostrata (cat louse), Goniocotes gallinae (fluff louse), Goniodes dissimilis (brown chicken louse), Haemodipsus ventricosus (rabbit louse), Lipeurus caponis (wing louse), Menacanthus stramineus (chicken body louse), Pthirus pubis (crab or pubic louse), and Polyplax serratus (mouse louse).

[A.S. lūs]

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

louse

(lous)

pl. lice (līs) Any of numerous small, flat-bodied, wingless biting or sucking insects of the order Phthiraptera, which live as external parasites on birds and mammals, including humans. The lice are sometimes classified together with the psocids in the order Psocodea.

A flat wingless parasitic insect, that may be a carrier of pathogens; its plural is lice

louse

A flat wingless parasitic insect

Of Lice & Men

Biting lice, Order Mallophaga, which rarely affect humans

Sucking lice, Order Anoplua, family Pediculidae, which are global in distribution, and serve as either

• Disease vectors, eg Borrelia recurrentis–Bhermisi turcatae, B parkeri or

• Themselves cause disease—Pediculus humanis capitis, head lice, Pediculus humanis corporis, body lice, Phthirus pubis, crabs, pubic lice

louse

, pl. lice (lows, līs)

Common name for members of the ectoparasitic insect orders Anoplura (sucking lice) and Mallophaga (biting lice).

[A.S. lūs]

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

louse

See LICE.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

louse

any wingless insect of the order Mallophaga (bird lice or biting lice) or the order Anopleura (sucking lice).

Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

For each person, only 1 pool of each louse species was tested.

Risk factors for human lice and bartonellosis among the homeless, San Francisco, California, USA

The tiny, blood-sucking body louse Pediculus humanus humanus L.

Human body louse genome sequenced

Typical chemical treatments work by attacking the louse's nervous system, but this tactic doesn't have an effect on eggs, because they haven't developed nervous systems yet, according to Sujanil.

Natural lice treatment products enter the marketplace

To confirm an active head lice infestation, a louse must be found through a reliable, accurate method, such as detection combing.

Spread the love - but not the head lice ..

Because hair grows [approximately equal to] 1.25 cm per month, the louse infestation occurred [approximately equal to] 3 months before egg collection (6).

Bartonella quintana in body lice from scalp hair of homeless persons, France

Another popular louse medication is pyrethrins (RID and others).

Lice make lousy guests

TREATMENT: Comb hair daily for more than two weeks with special louse or nit comb.

Body Bugs

Nymph: The nit hatches into a baby louse called a nymph.

Head Lice Infestation (Pediculosis)

NEW YORK -- The term louse is often thought of as an insult --to describe someone who is contemptible or unpleasant--but, in fact, a louse is a parasitic insect most commonly found on scalps--mostly on children--but also on bodies, including the pubic area.

In the war on lice, O-T-Cs are formidable weapons

Beck goes on to say, "Lice are highly contagious and reproduce at a rate of 6-10 eggs per day per louse.Head lice feed on human blood from the scalp up to 3 times daily and will die within 36 hours when off the head.

LiceDoctors of Baltimore Educates Families About Head Lice Detection and Removal

Some experts cite selfies--photographs of oneself, often with friends, that are typically taken with a smartphone and uploaded to a social media website--as a new route for louse infestation among preteens and teenagers

Lice treatment moves beyond a reliance on pesticides

Humans are the sole hosts of the pubic louse (Pthirus pubis), the body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus), and the head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) (1).

Borrelia recurrentis in head lice, Ethiopia