MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Lice, body with stool (Pediculus humanus)

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Lice, body with stool (Pediculus humanus)

These are Pediculus humanus, or body lice. Other types of lice infest the scalp, head (Pediculus humanus capitis), or the pubic area (Phthirus pubis). Some body lice may carry diseases such as epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, or trench fever. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

Update Date: 2/19/2008

Updated by: John E. Duldner, Jr., MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Director of Research, Department of Emergency Medicine, Akron General Medical Center and Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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