Family PTHIRIDAE
Compiler and date details
S.C. Barker Department of Parasitology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Introduction
The family Pthiridae Ewing, 1929 comprises two species, Pthirus gorillae Ewing, 1927, that parasitises gorillas, and Pthirus pubis, the Crab or Pubic Louse, that parasitises people in Australia and probably everywhere else in the world. Pthirus pubis is transmitted during sexual contact and on clothing, towels and bed linen. This species is common in Australia.
General accounts of P. pubis are given in a range of medical, parasitological and entomological texts, e.g. Voge & John (1986).
General References
Voge, M. & John, D.T. 1986. Medical Parasitology. London : W.B. Saunders Co. 383 pp.