Parasitic Infections Overview

• How to Get Rid of Body Lice
  
  In bedding, body hair, and in the seams and folds of clothing is where body lice lives because your body heat enables the eggs to hatch. Body lice, or Pediculus humanus humanus, spreads through direct contact between people, or through contact with bedding, clothing or anywhere else this parasite can survive. A lice-killing shampoo or lotion applied over the entire body will kill body lice, but women who are pregnant or breast-feeding shouldn't necessarily use these products.
  
  
• Scabies Treatment
  
  Scabies, an infestation of a microscopic mite known as Sarcoptes scabiei, spreads through skin contact between people or when they share towels, bedding, or clothing. The infection produces pimple-like bumps or a skin rash, and itching that becomes seemingly unbearable at night. You can fight scabies with prescription lotions, though if you're allergic to the mite, the itching might continue for days, or a few weeks.
  
  
• How to Get Rid of Ticks
  
  Ticks prefer attaching to the skin of animals or reptiles to suck on their host's blood, but they will settle for humans too. These tiny brown mites are initially as small as a pencil tip and difficult to see, yet deer ticks in particular, which are smaller than dog ticks, can transmit diseases including Lyme disease. If you don't treat them, ticks can lead to infections in the heart, joints and even the nervous system. Ticks can be found in every state, but are particularly common in New England, parts of the Midwest and northern California.