Body Louse

Scientific Name: Pediculus humanus humanus

Order & Family: Order: Psocodea; Family: Pediculidae

Size: 2 mm to 4 mm in length.

Natural Habitat

Human clothing, bedding, and direct human skin contact during feeding.

Diet & Feeding

Strictly human blood; they are hematophagous parasites.

Behavior Patterns

They live in the seams of clothing and crawl onto the host's skin to feed several times a day. They reproduce by laying eggs (nits) on clothing fibers.

Risks & Benefits

Risks: Causes intense itching and skin irritations; uniquely among louse species, they are vectors for serious diseases like epidemic typhus, trench fever, and louse-borne relapsing fever.

Identified on: 2/5/2026