Ways of infection and clinical manifestations of pediculosis

Pediculosis is a parasitic disease of the skin and hair. Three types of lice can parasitize on the human body: this is the body louse, the head and pubic louse or the flathead. Perhaps the development of mixed pediculosis, when two types of lice are found at the same time. These parasites feed on human blood. They lay their eggs in their hair, and the body louse lays their eggs in clothes. Pediculosis is contracted by direct contact, pubic louse is transmitted through sexual contact. Let us consider in more detail the different types of pediculosis, as well as the principles of its treatment.

Clinical manifestations and detection of head lice

Lice are usually localized on the scalp, most often affecting the occipital and temporal regions, eyebrows and eyelashes may also be affected. In the presence of long hair, the process is most pronounced, to a greater extent this applies to women and children. How hair looks like with pediculosis, read further on estet-portal.com. Insects get from an infected person to a healthy person only through close contact.

The clinical picture of lice infestation is represented by papules, vesicles, erythematous spots that appear at the bite sites due to irritation of the skin by the production of the salivary glands of the parasite.

Symptoms of head lice:

• dermatitis develops, eczematization, excoriations. This causes inflammation, secondary pustulization, exudation.
• There are crusts of a purulent-hemorrhagic nature, peeling, followed by lichenification and pigmentation of the affected areas of the skin. The disease is accompanied by severe itching.
• Pustules, exudative changes, formed crusts on the scalp shrink, promote sticking of hair and the formation of tangles (trichomes).
• Closed with exudate and pus, felt-like thick tufts of dirty-gray hair have an unpleasant odor and contribute to skin irritation. The diagnosis is established by finding nits and lice.

Features of infection and symptoms of body lice

The places where the folds and seams of clothing come into contact with the skin are most often affected. Infection can occur when using dirty things, bed linen. Asocial patients, poorly hygienic adults, sometimes children are affected, and there is a high probability of infection with increased crowding of people.

The clinical picture is determined by the presence of vascular bluish spots at the sites of bites, papular, urticarial elements, capillaries. Infected people have unbearable itching. Ecthymas, secondary pyogenic elements, folliculitis, pustules also appear, and furunculosis develops. At the site of a long-term process in the presence of constant itching, excoriations, thickening of the skin, lichenification with yellow-brown changes in the skin and subsequent hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation appear. At the site of excoriations, the development of white cicatricial changes is possible.

The disease of head lice is dangerous due to the possibility of the spread of Volyn fever.

Volyn fever (trench, or five-day fever) is caused by rickettsia (R.quintana), which multiply extracellularly in the intestines of lice and are excreted with their waste products, feces.  When crushing insects or rubbing feces, rickettsia get on the skin and then into the bloodstream through abrasions, injured skin, scratches.

Manifestation of pubic pediculosis (phthyriasis). Pediculosis treatment

The disease develops in the pubic region, perineum, scrotum, it is also possible to damage the eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, mustache, armpits, rarely the scalp.

With pubic lice bites, itching is not as pronounced as with previously described types of pediculosis, however, the saliva of the parasite enters the human bloodstream, and intoxication appears as bluish-blue spots on the skin.

Differential diagnosis for spotting should be done with typhoid roseola, syphilis. Papules, vesicles appear on the skin, with intense itching — excoriations, desquamation, hemorrhagic crusts and complications in the form of pyoderma.

Anti-pediculosis drugs are represented by various drugs that have a detrimental effect on both adults and larvae of parasites.

Modern aspects of pediculosis treatment:

• Nittifor, para-plus, itax, nix, 20% benzyl benzoate solution, antiscrub are highly effective.
• Treatment of head lice complicated by pyoderma includes antibiotic therapy, both local and oral.
• Broad-spectrum antibiotics are desirable.
• From external agents, it is necessary to use aniline antiseptics, ointments and pastes with antibiotics.

With developed dermatitis, the use of antihistamines is necessary. External therapy should include steroid ointments. Also, anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used in the treatment of pediculosis.