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What Diseases Do Body Lice Carry?

Body lice, head lice and pubic lice are the three types of lice that can infest humans. Head and pubic lice are more bothersome than dangerous, and infestations can easily be remedied by the use of pesticides and proper housecleaning. However, only body lice can pass on disease.

  1. Habitat of the Body Louse

    • Body lice can be found in all races all over the country. The body louse prefers to make its habitat in the seams of clothing and in bedding, toweling and other cloth items. An infested person can treat body lice simply by improving personal hygiene and laundering clothing and other items regularly. In most cases, a body lice infestation results in intense itching and a rash, usually around the waist area. Itching can result in sores and secondary infection. However, sometimes body lice do pass on other diseases.

    Endemic Typhus

    • Endemic typhus is very rarely seen in the United States. This disease occurs when body lice pass the Rickettsia typhi bacteria to humans by way of fecal matter. Endemic typhus, also known as jail fever, results in chills, coughing, high fever, pain in the joints and muscles, low blood pressure, delirium and extremely high fever (more than 104 degrees F). Other symptoms of endemic typhus include a rash that starts on the chest area and spreads to the rest of the body, with the exception of the palms and soles of the feet. Endemic typhus is treated with antibiotics such as doxycycline and tetracycline.

    Trench Fever

    • Trench Fever caused by body lice was first noted during World War I and reached epidemic proportions during World War II. This disease is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, headache, sore muscles and joints, and a rash on the chest and back. Bouts of fever occur every 4 or 5 days. Within a couple of months, trench fever can resolve, although in a small percent of the infected population (around 5 percent), the disease becomes chronic. Trench fever is usually treated with chlortetracycline.

    Relapsing Fever

    • Relapsing fever, caused by the bacteria Borrelia recurrentis, is most common in Asia, Africa and Central and South America, but has recently been noted in Sudan and Ethiopia. This disease is characterized by a sudden onset of fever that lasts 3 to 6 days, followed by a less severe bout of fever that can last up to 3 days. Infected persons can remain symptom free for weeks before experiencing a relapse. Ten percent of those infected with louse-born relapsing fever die when the fever causes other symptoms, such as chills, intense sweating and extremely low body temperature and blood pressure. Relapsing fever is treated with tetracycline, doxycycline, erythromycin and penicillin.

    Preferred Circumstances

    • According to the Centers for Disease Control, body lice infestations in the United States typically occur among the homeless and indigent population because they lack the opportunity to practice good hygiene and do not have access to freshly laundered clothing. As evidenced, louse-borne disease, such as typhus, trench fever and relapsing fever, is quite rare and closely associated with conditions in developing countries or circumstances that prohibit people from access to fresh water, such as during wartimes or after a natural disaster.

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