What is pubic lice?

Pubic lice is an infectious disease caused by pubic lice that parasitize on the pubic hair and body hair around the anus and invade the nearby skin. It poses a great threat to people's health. So what exactly causes pubic lice? Most people are not aware of this. In fact, the occurrence of pubic lice is related to unclean sexual contact and is more common in females.

1. Causes of pubic lice

This disease is an infectious disease. The patient or his/her spouse may have a history of unclean sexual contact or may have stayed away from home before the onset of the disease. The pathogen of pubic lice is an external parasite - pubic lice. Pubic lice are small, turtle-like creatures that use their large claws to grasp hair shafts. Pubic lice feed on human blood. Before feeding, they are grayish white, and after feeding, they turn rusty. The host's body temperature is suitable for the growth of pubic lice. Under natural conditions, the average lifespan of female lice is 35 days. Both the larvae and adults of pubic lice feed on human blood, 4 to 5 times a day. Pubic lice generally do not leave the pubic hair area. They only leave their original host and infect new hosts during sexual intercourse. Pubic lice, like other lice diseases, can also spread infectious diseases such as relapsing fever and typhus.

2. Treatment of pubic lice

1. Treatment principles

Early diagnosis and timely treatment; treatment plans must be individualized; regular treatment and follow-up; tracing the source of infection, examination and treatment; sexual partners should be examined and treated at the same time.

2. Treatment options

The ideal treatment should be able to effectively kill both adult pubic lice and their eggs. Before treatment, the patient should shave his pubic hair, and underwear, bed sheets, and quilts should be soaked in boiling water to kill insects.

(1) General treatment: Shave pubic hair. Boil and disinfect underwear, panties, menstrual belts and bathing utensils to keep them clean and hygienic. Patients should avoid sexual intercourse to avoid infecting others. Because pubic hair is where pubic lice live, without pubic hair lice will lose the place they need to live. In order to completely treat the disease, it is generally required to shave off the pubic hair and burn it to completely eliminate the environment in which pubic lice survive. In addition, the claws of pubic lice are very powerful, and they often grasp the hair shaft tightly, making it difficult to separate, so shaving pubic hair is a necessary treatment.

(2) Drug treatment includes lindane lotion, shampoo or cream; malathion lotion; permethrin; sulfur ointment; 25% benzyl benzoate emulsion, etc., all of which have the effect of killing adult pubic lice and eggs. If the itching is severe, antihistamines can be used to relieve itching. If secondary bacterial infection occurs, antibiotics should be used.

3. Cure criteria

The patient should be followed up 4 to 7 days after the first treatment. The patient can be considered cured if the symptoms disappear and no lice or eggs are found during physical examination. Sometimes itching may last for a period of time, which is mainly caused by allergic reactions and can be treated symptomatically, but it will not affect the recovery. The prognosis is good.