Lice and lice-borne diseases in humans
Houhamdi, L.; Parola, P.; Raoult, D.
Medecine Tropicale Revue du Corps de Sante Colonial 65(1): 13-23
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-682X PMID: 15903070 Document Number: 592602
Among the 3 human louse species, only Pediculus humanus humanus is a vector of infectious diseases. It lives and multiplies in clothes, and human infestation is associated with cold weather and poor hygiene. Three pathogenic bacteria are known to be transmitted by this body louse: (i) Rickettsia prowazekii, the agent of epidemic typhus, of which the most recent outbreak (and the largest since World War II) occurred during the civil war in Burundi; (ii) Borrelia recurrentis, the agent of relapsing fever. It was responsible for massive outbreaks in Eurasia and Africa, and prevails currently in Ethiopia and neighbouring countries; (iii) Bartonella quintana, the agent of trench fever, and can also cause bacillary angiomatosis, chronic bacteraemia, bacterial endocarditis, and lymphadenopathy. Body louse infestation, which is associated with poor social and hygienic conditions provoked by civil unrest and economic instability, is reemerging worldwide. Recently, Acinetobacter baumannii has been associated with the body louse.