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Crab lice

Lice feed on human blood. There are three types: head lice, which are common in children; clothing lice – sometimes called body lice – which are common in vagrants, live in clothing and only visit the skin to feed; and crab or pubic lice.

How crab lice are caught

Lice cannot jump, hop, fly or swim. Crab lice probably cannot be caught from lavatory seats or even from bedclothes, but this is not 100% certain. They probably cannot survive for more than 24 hours away from a person. They are transmitted by close body contact, during which they are able to transfer their grip from one person’s hair to that of the other before letting go entirely from the first person. Sexual contact is their ideal situation.

Where crab lice live

Crab lice cannot live in hair that is too dense, so they will not colonize the hair of the scalp (except at the hairline). However, they will live happily on armpit hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, chest hair and upper thigh hair as well as pubic hair.

Written by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Edited by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Last updated: Saturday, February 13th 2010

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Comments on this article

Posted by karenl on 11/06/2010 at 07:48:07 am

to optional hi.i shave my pubic hair as well i shave twice aweek with no promblems i think i know what you are doing wrong.i have posted some advice about pubic shaving on skin problems under shaving rash to enjoy a nice smooth bauld spot you have to do it right check out my advice....but before you shave your pubes again you must let them grow for a month or two happy shaving girl keep it clean keep it shaved.....karen

Posted by Mason on 01/05/2010 at 11:05:23 pm

My testicles smell like vinegar, even if I had a shower! Is this bacterial buildup or is this serious?

Posted by Optional on 22/02/2010 at 10:13:32 am

Ok I have been shaving my pubic hair for year and now I have dry scabs on it and alot of ingrow hair do you no what is happening?