Pubic lice are caught through close body contact with an infested person. The lice crawl from one hair to another. They cannot jump, fly or swim.
Sexual contact is the most common way to pass on pubic lice. This includes sexual intercourse, as well as oral or anal sex. Other types of close contact, such as hugging or kissing, could also spread the lice. Condoms (a barrier method of contraception) and other types of contraception cannot protect you from pubic lice.
It is not known for certain whether pubic lice can be transferred through items such as clothing, bed linen, towels and toilet seats, though this type of transmission may be possible. If somebody in your household has pubic lice, you may want to wash or clean these items as a precaution.
The life cycle of pubic lice
Pubic lice live for between one and three months. During this time, the female louse can lay up to 300 eggs. The eggs hatch after 6 to 10 days. Within two to three weeks, the lice mature and can start reproducing.
Lice can live for up to 24 hours off the body. However, because pubic lice depend on human blood for survival, they will rarely leave the body unless there is close body contact with another person. They do not live on other animals.
