Powers Jim, Badri Talel, Syed Hasnain A.
Campbell Univ. School of Osteopathic Med
University of Tunis El Manar
Pediculosis corporis is a skin condition caused by body lice () that feed on human blood. Body lice are parasitic insects that feed on human blood. The 3 types of lice that feed on humans are the head louse (, the pubic or crab louse (, and the body louse. There has been debate amongst entomologists regarding the proper taxonomy of head and body lice; some identify them as two different species, while others group them as a single species. Those considering them as two distinct species identify body lice as , while those who see them as one species identify them as . In the medical literature, body lice are often referred to as , but according to the rules of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, this is an improper designation. Studies have identified that the head and body lice are closely related, with genetic studies demonstrating that body lice possess only one gene that is not also present in head lice. Unlike head and pubic lice, body lice do not live on the skin but rather live and lay their eggs in stitchings of clothing or bedding, moving to the skin only to feed. The most significant difference between body and head lice is the distinct ability of body lice to transmit the bacterial diseases of trench fever, relapsing fever, and epidemic typhus to humans.
体虱病是一种由以人类血液为食的体虱引起的皮肤疾病。体虱是寄生昆虫，以人类血液为食。以人类为宿主的三种虱子分别是头虱（ ）、阴虱或蟹虱（ ）和体虱。昆虫学家对头虱和体虱的正确分类存在争议；一些人将它们视为两个不同的物种，而另一些人则将它们归为一个物种。将它们视为两个不同物种的人将体虱鉴定为 ，而将它们视为一个物种的人则将它们鉴定为 。在医学文献中，体虱常被称为 ，但根据国际动物命名委员会的规则，这是一个不恰当的名称。研究表明，头虱和体虱密切相关，基因研究显示体虱仅拥有一个头虱中不存在的基因。与头虱和阴虱不同，体虱并不生活在皮肤上，而是在衣服缝线或被褥中生存和产卵，仅在进食时才移动到皮肤上。体虱和头虱之间最显著的区别在于，体虱具有将战壕热、回归热和流行性斑疹伤寒等细菌性疾病传播给人类的独特能力。
