5-Minute Emergency Consult
Pediculosis
Basics
Description
- Infestation by organisms that live in close association with host
- Bites are painless
- Signs and symptoms result from host response to saliva and anticoagulant injected during feeding
- Transmitted by direct contact and fomites (inanimate objects)
- Head lice are transmitted by head-to-head contact:
- Combs
- Pillows
- Hats
- Head lice are most common in children ages 4–11 yr old and females
- Pubic lice are transmitted by sexual contact
- Lice cannot survive away from hosts >3 d (obligate human parasites)
Etiology
Infestation by:
- Pediculus capitis (head louse):
- Most common
- All socioeconomic groups
- Pediculus corporis (body louse):
- Associated with poverty, poor hygiene, and overcrowding
- Live in clothing and transfer to human host for feeding
- Related to bed bugs
- Phthirus pubis (pubic or crab louse)
Pediatric Considerations
Pubic lice may also indicate sexual abuse in children
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Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Pediculosis." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 7th ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2027. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307451/2.3.0/Pediculosis_.
Pediculosis. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2027. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307451/2.3.0/Pediculosis_. Accessed August 10, 2026.
Pediculosis. (2027). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (7th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307451/2.3.0/Pediculosis_
Pediculosis [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2027. [cited 2026 August 10]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307451/2.3.0/Pediculosis_.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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BT - 5-Minute Emergency Consult
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