LOUSE

Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Anopleura
Family: Pediculidae
Genera: Pediculushumanis

• Lice are small wingless ectoparasites of mammals and Birds.

• The lice that infest man are of three kinds
• Head louse (Pediculus capitis)
• Body louse (Pediculu scorporis) and
• Pubic or Crab louse (Phthirus pubis)
Human lice occur in all parts of the World, wherever standards of hygiene are low, but people in colder
climates are affected more frequently than those in warmer regions.

Morphology:
• The body of a louse is flattened dorso-ventrally, and is divided into head, thorax and abdomen.

Female Male

1) HEAD: The head is pointed in front and bears

• A pair of 5-jointed antennae.
• The mouth parts are adapted for biting and sucking blood.
• No maxillary palpi.
• No projecting proboscis

(2) THORAX: The thorax is a fused mass and is shaped somewhat like a square.
• Three pairs of legs are attached ventrally to the thorax.
• The legs are strongly-developed and are provided with claws which help the
insect to cling to the hair and clothing.
• Wings are absent.
(3) ABDOMEN:
• The abdomen is elongated and consists of 9 segments.
• The last abdominal segment is pointed in the case of males, and bilobed in the
case of females.

Life history
• There are three stages: egg, larva and adult.
• Metamorphosis is gradual (Incomplete metamorphosis) since it is a wingless insect

EGGS:
• The eggs, called "nits" are laid
singly or in groups.
• Firmly attached to the hair or
seams of clothing by a cementing
substance.
• The eggs are small, white
ovoid bodies, pointed at
one end and truncated
and pitted at the other
end (Soap box like).
• A female lays upto 300 eggs at
the rate of 4 to 9 a day.
(2) Under favourable conditions of
temperature ,the eggs will hatch in
6 to 9 days.
(3)
LARVA OR NYMPH:
• The larva looks very much like an adult, except for its smaller size.
• It feeds on the host and develops into an adult after passing through 3 moults.
• The larval stage may take 10 to15 days.

ADULT:
• The entire life cycle takes about 15to17 days under favourable conditions.
• Adult lice live from 30 to 45 days.
Mode of Transmission
(1) DIRECTCONTACT:
• Close contact with louse or infested persons.
• Overcrowding
• Children get easily infested at school
(2) INDIRECTCONTACT:
• From clothing, bedding, combs or brushes used by louse infested persons.
• Lice have been seen to be blown by wind from heavily infested persons.
 Phthirus pubis
• Smaller than Pediculus, about 2mm.
• Infest pubic hair mainly and eyelashes.
• Transmitted by direct contact with infected person or clothes
• Lifecycle 30-40 days.
• No disease transmission

Public Health Importance

Infestation of Louse-Pediculosis (Formication and Itching) Diseases transmitted
Disease Causativeagent
Epidemictyphus R.prowazeki
Trenchfever Riskettsiaquintana
Relapsingfever Borreliarecurrentis

CONTROL MEASURES

(1) INSECTICIDAL CONTROL:

Insecticides appear to be the only means at present for the control of lice.

(a) Head and crab lice:

• Lotion containing 0.5 percent malathion.
• The lotion should be left on for 12 to 24 hours
• Malathion destroys lice and nits.
• Dust containing carbaryl is also effective as louse powder.

(b) BodyLice :
• Powder containing 1% malathion is the treatment of choice.
• Dust containing carbaryl may also be used.
• The powder is applied to the inner surface of the clothing as well as socks and the body of
the persons.

"Mass de-lousing"
 The powder is blown down the neck of the shirt, up the sleeves.
 Normally a single application will eradicate an infestation, but a second application may be made in 7
days to kill late-hatching lice.

(2) PERSONALHYGIENE:
• Regularly bathing, regularly changing and launder the clothes.
 CYCLOPS

• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Class: Crustacea
• Order: Eucopepoda
• Family: Cyclopidae
• Genera: cyclops

These are aquatic (freshwater) inhabitat. Also called as “Waterflea”.

Morphology
Cyclops is pear shaped organism about 1 mm in size, just seen with naked eyes.
Body is divided into cephalo-thorax and abdomen.

Cephalothorax
It has two pairs of antennae at anterior end, help
in locomotion.
Single median eye is present on the dorsal side.
Anteriorly lies the mouth parts
surrounded by a pair of mandibles and
two pairs of maxillae.
Thorax is made up of six segments.
There are five pairs of legs on the ventral side.
They are adapted for swimming in water.
Abdomen
Is smaller in size, made up of five segments.
The last segment is made up of caudal fork.
In female, there is a structure called ovisac.

LIFE-CYCLE:
Incomplete metamorphosis
Eggs from ovi sac develop into larvae in 2-3
days.
There are two larval stages, the first stage is
called Nauplius and after 5 days it develops
into Metanauplius.
Metanuaplius develops into adult.
Lifecycle is completed in 15 days.
Average life span of Cyclops is about three
months.
 BIONOMICS:
Breedinghabits: they breed in fresh water, like lakes, ponds and stepwells. Infected cyclops sink to
the bottom.
Motility: They swim in water with jerky movements.
Feeding: They feed on all types of microbes like algae, and diatoms.

PUBLIC HEALTH IMPORTANCE:

Guineaworm disease:
Also known a sDracunculiasis. Parasite is Dracunculus medinensis and vector is Cyclops (secondary
host ) & man (primary host ).
Fish tape worm disease:
Parasite is Dyphyllobothrium latum and vector is Cyclops (primary host) & fish (secondary host).

CONTROL MEASURES:
Physical methods:
◦ Boiling water at 60oC
◦ Straining the water using fine cloth.

Chemical methods:
◦ Super-chlorination with concentration of 5ppm of residual chlorine.
◦ Use lime at the rate of 4g/gallon.
◦ Abate (OP Compounds) added as 1mg per litre.

◦ Biological methods
Use of Gambusia or Barbal fish.

Environmental Methods:
◦ Abolition of step wells
◦ Supply of piped water
◦ Use of tube wells.

Health education
 Regarding mode of transmission & prevention.