Lice were a constant problem for soldiers living in the cramped and crowded conditions of the trenches. These tiny insects infested clothing, irritated skin and caused 'trench fever' and typhus.
Rats and lice tormented the troops by day and night. Oversized rats, bloated by the food and waste of stationary armies, helped spread disease and were a constant irritant. In 1918, doctors also identified lice as the cause of trench fever, which plagued the troops with headaches, fevers, and muscle pain.
Fortunately for the lice population, if not for their hosts, conditions of trench warfare proved ideal for their rapid spread. Of the three types of lice - head, pubic and body - the latter was far and away the most common. Lice could only thrive in warm conditions - which was provided by body heat and clothing.
Lice caused Trench Fever, a nasty and painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever.
'Cooties' was the nickname American soldiers gave to body lice – the itchy little bugs that burrowed into skin, hair, clothing, blankets and just about anything made of natural materials. For many soldiers, cooties were as relentless as their human enemies.
Lice were a constant problem for soldiers living in the cramped and crowded conditions of the trenches. These tiny insects infested clothing, irritated skin and caused 'trench fever' and typhus.
Soldiers also had to deal with lice, which hid in the seams of their clothes and left blotchy red bites all over their bodies. The lice carried a disease known as trench fever, which could put a soldier out of action for months. Soldiers in the trenches must have dreamt of the day they could leave.
The lice were the size of grains of rice, each with its own bite, each with its own itch. When we could, we would run hot wax from a candle down the seams of our trousers, our vests - whatever you had - to burn the buggers out. It was the only thing to do.
Head lice are a common problem, especially for kids. They spread easily from person to person, and sometimes are tough to get rid of. Their bites can make a child's scalp itchy and irritated, and scratching can lead to infection. Head lice are annoying, but they're not dangerous and they don't spread disease.
Lice Infestation
Men scratching at their louse-ridden skin and inspecting the seams of their uniforms for the parasites became a familiar sight. Unable to keep either themselves or their clothes clean, the men became lousy – and it was very difficult to get rid of the lice once they had them.
Vaccine successes had been documented for smallpox and typhoid. However, louse-borne typhus killed 2–3 million soldiers and civilians on the Eastern Front, and the war's end in November 1918 was hastened by an influenza pandemic that had begun in January 1918 and eventually claimed the lives of an estimated 50 million.
Classic trench fever is caused by Bartonella quintana, which is carried predominately by a vector body louse. B. quintana reproduces in the intestinal lumen of the louse and then transmits the disease via inoculation of contaminated feces into exposed skin or conjunctivae.
Frogs, Lice and Worse
Lice caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever. Recovery - away from the trenches - took up to twelve weeks. Lice were not actually identified as the culprit of Trench Fever until 1918.
Among the diseases and viruses that were most prevalent were influenza, typhoid, trench foot and trench fever.
pestis was observed by Blanc and Baltazard during a cluster of bubonic plague cases in households in Morocco during World War II (9). These authors demonstrated that the body louse could be infected when living on a septicemic patient, could stay alive for 7 days with infectious feces, and could transmit plague (9).
Head-to-head contact with an already infested person is the most common way to get head lice. Head-to-head contact is common during play at school, at home, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp). Although uncommon, head lice can be spread by sharing clothing or belongings.
The First Humans
One of the earliest known humans is Homo habilis, or “handy man,” who lived about 2.4 million to 1.4 million years ago in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The oldest physical evidence of head lice on a human was a nit found on the hair of a 10,000-year-old body at an archeological site in Brazil. Lice combs have been found in the tombs of Egyptian royalty, and even Cleopatra was said to have solid gold lice combs buried with her.
It was estimated that 97% of the soldiers in the trenches had lice. Trench conditions made it perfect for lice to thrive. A female louse can lay up to a dozen eggs and they would hatch in one to two weeks. It wasn't until 1918 that doctors attributed “trench fever” to lice.
Bartonella quintana infection (historically called 'trench fever') is a vector-borne disease primarily transmitted by the human body louse Pediculus humanus humanus.
By the end of 1916, most had concluded the human louse transmitted trench fever, as this was the most common blood-sucking insect in the trenches.
We've got three different kinds of lice because, unlike our closest relatives, we aren't covered head-to-toe in a furry coat. Each louse species is adapted to its particular niche in our body; by working out their evolutionary history, we can learn something about when those niches appeared.
Body lice frequently lay their eggs on or near the seams of clothing. Body lice must feed on blood and usually only move to the skin to feed. Body lice exist worldwide and infest people of all races.
Most people with body lice recover without medication. It may take up to two weeks for your body lice infestation to go away. Nits hatch in one to two weeks and can be killed through proper washing of clothing or bedding in hot water. Adult lice and nymphs will die in one to two days if they can't feed on your blood.