Small, flat, wingless, grey parasites
about 2mm long with strong claw legs and
which feed on human blood. There are two
distinct forms of this sort of louse - the
head louse and the clothing or body louse,
but they are similar in appearance. The
pearly, oval eggs or "nits" stick
to hairs or fibres of clothing and the nymphs
moult three times before maturing, feeding
as they go. The life cycle takes about 18
days. Past epidemics of typhus and trench
fever transmitted by lice are now unlikely,
but irritating bites can produce impetigo
and similar afflictions. Having lice does
not necessarily imply that one is dirty,
but the sooner treatment is sought, and
the source eliminated , the better.
