Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Body Lice
Body lice (also called clothes lice) are tiny insects which live and lay nits (lice eggs) on clothing. They are parasites, and they need to feed on human blood to survive. They usually only move to the skin to feed.
Body lice are one of the three types of lice that live on humans. The other two types are head lice and pubic lice. Each type of lice is different, and getting one type does not mean that you will get another type.
Body lice can spread diseases, such as typhus, trench fever, and relapsing fever.
Body lice move by crawling, because they cannot hop or fly. One way that they spread is through physical contact with a person who has body lice. They can also spread through contact with clothing, beds, bed linens, or towels that were used by a person with body lice. You cannot get lice from animals.
Body lice is most common in people who cannot bathe and wash their clothes regularly, especially if they live in crowded conditions. In the United States, this is most often people experiencing homelessness. In other countries, body lice can also affect refugees and victims of war or natural disasters.
The most common symptom of body lice is intense itching. There may also be a rash, which is caused by an allergic reaction to the bites. The itching causes some people to scratch until they get sores. Sometimes these sores can become infected with bacteria or fungi.
If someone has body lice for a long time, the heavily bitten areas of their skin can become thickened and discolored. This is most common around your midsection (waist, groin, and upper thighs).
A diagnosis of body lice usually comes from finding nits and crawling lice in the seams of clothing. Sometimes a body louse can be seen crawling or feeding on the skin. Other times it takes a magnifying lens to see the lice or nits.
The main treatment for body lice is to improve personal hygiene. That means regular showers and washing clothes, bedding, and towels at least once a week. Use hot water to wash the laundry, and dry it using the hot cycle of the dryer. Some people may also need a lice-killing medicine.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
It sits within Infections, Skin, Hair and Nails and Sexual Health Issues.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Body Lice
66 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Safety, Efficacy and Preventative Effect of a Head Lice Product (X92001483) vs. Nix Creme Rinse (1% Permethrin).Oystershell NV
- Comparative Study for the Evaluation of a New Medical Device Shampoo on the Treatment of Head Lice InfestationPerrigo CSCI
- Efficacy and Safetyof a Medical Device With a Physical Mode of Action (X92001919) Versus Paranix Anti-lice Shampoo.Oystershell NV
- Safety and Efficacy of Head-lice Treatments Elimax Green Lotion and Walgreens Lice Killing ShampooOystershell NV
Research already completed
- A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of a Leave-in Spray in Subjects With Head Lice InfestationAlliance Pharmaceuticals
- Safety and Efficacy of a Head Lice ShampooOystershell NV
- Neem Lotion With Combing for LiceMedical Entomology Centre
- A Clinical Trial to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of a Water-soluble Head Lice Product.Oystershell NV
- A Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of BGC20-0582 Lice Treatment Gel for Head Lice InfestationBoston Scientific Corporation
- Dermal Safety Study to Evaluate Potential Irritation of Abametapir LotionDr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Learn More
- About Body LiceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Body LiceMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Lice InfestationsNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Lice Infestations, Pediculus. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Body Lice, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.