Phthiraptera

Johari Jalinas
Medical and Urban Entomology
 Phthiraptera
• The name Phthiraptera is derived from the
Greek "phthir" meaning lice and "aptera"
meaning wingless.   The literal translation,
wingless lice, is appropriate for all members of
the order
• Parasitic Lice / Biting Lice / Sucking Lice
 Characteristics
• Wingless (apterous) ectoparasites
• Three nymphal instars
• Hemimetabolous (having a simple metamorphosis, i.e. no pupa)
• Mouthparts - mandibles for chewing lice, stylets for sucking lice
• Tarsi 1 or 2 segmented (1 in Anoplurans)
• Dorsoventally flattened head
• Development of operculum in egg
• Reduced labial palps
• Reduced compound eyes and no ocelli
• Antennae are 3 to 5 segmented and capitate
 Major Families:

• Philopteridae (Bird Lice) -- a large family (500 species) containing

several species that are pests of poultry.
• Trichodectidae (Mammal Chewing Lice) -- ectoparasites of mammals,
including pests of domestic cattle and sheep (e.g., Bovicola bovis).
• Menoponidae (Poultry Lice) -- includes several important pests of
poultry (e.g., Menopon gallinae and Menacanthus stramineus).
• Haematopinidae (Ungulate Lice) -- ectoparasites of cattle, deer, pigs,
horses, and zebras (e.g., the hog louse, Haematopinus suis).
• Pediculidae (Body Lice) -- includes the human body louse (Pediculus
humanus humanus) and the human head louse (P. humanus capitis).
• Pthiridae (Pubic Lice) -- includes Pthirus pubis, the human pubic (or
crab) louse.
 Suborder Mallophaga (chewing lice)

• The chewing lice are sometimes consisted to be two

suborders, the Amblycera and Ischnocera.
• They are small, flat, wingless, parasitic insects with mouth
parts formed for chewing. Legs and antennae are short.
Immature stages resemble the adults except for size.
• These insects feed upon feathers of birds or on hair and
skin scales of other animals. They are important pests of
domestic fowl and animals, but they do not live on man.
About 1/6 to 3/16 inch long when mature. The chicken
head louse, Cuclotogaster heterographus (Nitzsh)
(Phthiraptera; Ischnocera: Philopteridae) is an example.
 Suborder Anoplura (sucking lice)

• Anoplura are small, flat, wingless, parasitic insects with

mouthparts formed for piercing and sucking. Legs and antennae
are short. Immature stages resemble the adults.
• These insects are found commonly on domestic animals, but not
on birds. The human louse belongs to this suborder. They feed
by sucking blood and are important pests of domestic animals
and man.
• The human body louse has been responsible for millions of
human deaths through the centuries. They spread the organism
causing epidemic typhus from one person to another.  The hog
louse, Haematopinus suis (Linnaeus) (Phthiraptera; Anoplura:
Haematopinidae) is an example.
Distribution
 Life Cycle
Lice have relatively short lives of 2-8 weeks
depending on the species. The female lays up
to 9 eggs per day on the hair or feathers of the
host. The nymphs resemble adults and
develop through 3 instars before they reach
sexual maturity.
Life Cycle- Head lice
 Diseases
• Relapsing fever (synonym: typhinia)is an infection caused by
certain bacteria in the genus Borrelia. It is a vector-borne disease
that is transmitted through louse or soft-bodied tick bites.
• Borrelia recurrentis is the only agent of louse-borne disease.
Pediculus humanus, is the specific vector. Louse-borne relapsing
fever is more severe than the tick-borne variety.
• Mortality rate is 1% with treatment; 30-70% without treatment.
Poor prognostic signs include severe jaundice, severe change in
mental status, severe bleeding, and prolonged QT interval on ECG.
• Lice that feed on infected humans acquire the Borrelia organisms
that then multiply in the gut of the louse. When an infected louse
feeds on an uninfected human, the organism gains access when the
victim crushes the louse or scratches the area where the louse is
feeding. B. recurrentis infects the person via mucous membranes
and then invades the bloodstream. No animal reservoir exists.
 Relapsing fever
The human body louse is responsible for the spread of
relapsing fever (Borellia recurrentis), epidemic typhus
(Rickettsia prowazeki), and trench fever (Rickettsia
quintana).   epidemics amid poor living conditions, famine
and war in the developing world;[4] it is currently prevalent in
Ethiopia and Sudan.

Lice associated with domestic animals have also been

implicated in the transmission of disease (e.g., hog lice
spread pox virus and cattle lice spread rickettsial
anaplasmosis).  

Biting lice do not usually spread disease pathogens, but

heavy infestations in poultry can cause severe skin
irritation, weight loss, and reduced egg production.
 Trench fever

• Trench fever (also known as "Five day fever," "Quintan

fever," "Urban trench feveris a moderately serious disease
transmitted by body lice] . The disease persists among the
homeless. Outbreaks have been documented, for example,
in Seattle and Baltimore in the United States among
injection drug users and in Marseille, France, and Burundi.
• The disease is caused by the bacterium Bartonella
quintana (older names: Rochalimea quintana, Rickettsia
quintana), found in the stomach walls of the body louse.[3]
Bartonella quintana is closely related to Bartonella
henselae, the agent of cat scratch fever.
 Symptoms
• It is usually characterized by skin irritation,
allergic reactions, and a general feeling of
malaise
 Control and Treatments

Picture of a lice comb in use. The small dark

spots in the foam are lice.