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Pediculosis pubis under the lens
*Corresponding author: Arunachalam Narayanan, Department of Dermatology and STD, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India. narayanan359@gmail.com
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Received: ,
Accepted: ,
How to cite this article: Narayanan A. Pediculosis pubis under the lens. CosmoDerma 2023;3:1.
A 30-year-old man presented to our clinic with history of multiple, small, and black insects crawling out of his umbilicus. On examination, his umbilicus was clean. However, we found numerous crab lice attached to the base of his pubic hair. We did not observe any macula ceruleae. Microscopy (×10) demonstrated the presence of crab lice with three pairs of short and jointed legs [Video 1 and Figure 1]. We made a diagnosis of pediculosis pubis based on the clinical history and examination findings. We prescribed permethrin 1% cream application over the affected areas followed by washing it 10 min later. The treatment was repeated after 10 days followed by complete resolution.[1] Pediculosis pubis may also involve other hair-bearing areas such as axillae, scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, and areolar hair. The louse is characterized by a short, wide body with clawed legs except for the first pair, which is shortened and vestigial.
Video 1:
Video 1:Crab lice with three pairs of short and jointed legs.
- Crab lice with three pairs of short and jointed legs.
Declaration of patient consent
Patient’s consent not required as patients identity is not disclosed or compromised.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
References
- A clinical review and history of pubic lice. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2021;46:1181-8.
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