Sexually Transmitted Disease
The Child Abuse Team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center provides the following table as a guide for health care professionals in interpreting laboratory test results for Pubic Lice (Crabs), Pediculus Pthirus.
| Infection Sites | Eyelashes, eyebrows, genital hair, perianal hair, beard, arm pits, scalp (rarely) |
Incubation Period
and Symptoms | The most common site of infection in young children is the eyelash. Nits (eggs) can be seen, as well as the movement of lice. |
| Transmission | In adolescents, transmission is usually sexual. Non-sexual transmission through contaminated towels is possible. Sexual abuse should always be considered in children infected with pubic lice. |
| Diagnostic Tests | The diagnosis is made by the clinical appearance of the lice. Head lice do not infect eyelashes. Lice infestations of the eyelashes are pubic lice. Microscopic examination of the louse can be done if there is any doubt about the type of louse causing the infestation. |
