Lice are small parasites (bugs) that live on hair-covered skin. They are often connected to the base of the hair on the scalp or in the pubic area. When you have lice, it is called pediculosis (say: puh-DIK-yuh-LOW-sis). Scabies is caused by tiny bugs called mites. They dig under the skin. Lice and scabies both cause itching.

Lice are small insects that live on the skin. They are often connected to hair on the scalp or in the pubic area. When you have lice, it is called pediculosis. Scabies is a condition caused by mites, which are tiny, insect-like animals that dig under the skin. Both conditions cause itching.

Scabies is a transmissible skin disease caused by the ectoparasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis. This variant infests humans only; scabies cannot be caught or transferred to other animals. Scabies is a highly contagious infestation of the human epidermis. Scabies was described by Aristotle who likened the disease to ‘lice of the flesh’.

Scabies is caused by a tiny, eight-legged mite. The female mite burrows just under the skin and makes a tunnel where it lays eggs. The eggs hatch, and the mite larvae travel to the surface of the skin, where they mature. These mites can then spread to other areas of the skin or to the skin of other people.