Phthiriasis is the result of infestation by Phthirus pubis (crab louse), sucking lice belonging to the family Pthiridae. Phthirus pubis is transmitted mainly by sexual contact, but it also may be transmitted by clothing or from parents to children.
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) [CPD:C04623] powder was the treatment of choice during World War II, but the lice began to show resistance to this pesticide during the 1950s.
