Fact or Fiction: Skin Parasites

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Fact or Fiction: Skin Parasites
Image: Photo courtesy CDC/Dr. Amanda Loftis, Dr. William Nicholson, Dr. Will Reeves, Dr. Chris Paddock

About This Quiz

This quiz might make your skin and scalp start to itch -- reading about fleas, ticks, lice and bedbugs tends to have that effect. Take this quiz to learn more about skin parasites.
There are three types of skin parasites.
fact
fiction
almost fact: There are two types.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Skin parasites are either external or internal.

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Internal parasites are usually harder to get rid of than external ones.
fact
fiction
almost fact: It depends on the specific parasite.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

External parasites tend to jump on and off the skin, but internal ones stick around.

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Skin parasites are contagious.
fact
fiction
almost fact: Only external parasites are contagious.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Not all are contagious, but they definitely can be.

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Most skin parasite infestations can be taken care of with over-the-counter products.
fact
fiction
almost fact: Over-the-counter topical medications generally work, but oral medications aren't as effective.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Not true. In fact, if over-the-counter products don't work on a rash, it's a sign that your problem was probably caused by a skin parasite.

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Flea bites are clusters of tiny pink bumps.
fact
fiction
almost fact: The bumps are dark red with a white, ridged outline.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Flea bites are dark red, but they're ringed in pink.

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Many people and animals are allergic to flea saliva.
fact
fiction
almost fact: Every mammal is allergic to flea saliva.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Just the bites are enough to cause itching, but if you're allergic to flea saliva, it will also cause a rash.

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Fleas can carry E. Coli bacteria.
fact
fiction
almost fact: Fleas can carry bubonic plague.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

E. Coli isn't a worry with fleas, but there is a risk of bubonic plague, or the Black Death.

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Fleas have hard bodies, which makes them resistant to scratching.
fact
fiction
almost fact: Fleas are resistant to scratching because they bury themselves in your skin.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yep, fleas are unaffected by scratching, and it's also impossible to crush or pinch them.

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After they bite you, ticks insert a feeding tube into your skin.
fact
fiction
almost fact: They make a tiny hole with their pinchers, through which they suck blood.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, ticks use a feeding tube called a hypostome.

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It usually takes a couple of hours for a tick to be filled with blood.
fact
fiction
almost fact: It only takes a few minutes.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A tick could actually be on your body for two days.

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The best way to get a tick off your body is to hold a lit match near it.
fact
fiction
almost fact: The best way is to rub it with petroleum jelly.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Both of these options could actually make the tick inject more saliva into your skin. Plucking it off with tweezers is the best way.

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Lice eat your blood and other body secretions.
fact
fiction
almost fact: Add dead skin to that list.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes to all of it -- lice consume blood, body secretions and dead skin.

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There are three types of lice that infest the human body.
fact
fiction
almost fact: There's only one type, but they can infest three different parts of the body.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lice vary slightly depending on what body part they prefer: head, body or pubic region.

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The three types are indistinguishable to the naked eye.
fact
fiction
almost fact: Head and body lice look very similar, but pubic lice are different.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Head and body lice look alike, but white pubic lice do resemble crabs -- hence the nickname.

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Body lice live in clothing.
fact
fiction
almost fact: They live in your body hair.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, body lice live in clothes, and they can be spread through shared clothing or towels.

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Head lice lay eggs all over the scalp.
fact
fiction
almost fact: They actually lay their eggs on your hair.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The lice lay eggs and affix them to your hair with saliva.

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Pediculosis is the scientific name for lice infestations
fact
fiction
almost fact: It's pericutosis.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pediculosis it is.

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Baby lice are called nits.
fact
fiction
almost fact: Nits is the word for lice eggs.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Nits are the empty lice egg shells. They're easy to identify in the hair but hard to remove.

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Bedbugs are drawn to their victims by body heat and oxygen.
fact
fiction
almost fact: They are attracted to body heat, but also to exhaled carbon dioxide.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Body heat and carbon dioxide are what does it -- so maybe you'd be safe sleeping in a freezer?

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Scabies mites usually enter your body through the hands or feet.
fact
fiction
almost fact: They start at the feet and end at the hands.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

True. Scabies mites will usually pick either the hands or feet for their burrowing entry point.

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You Got:
/20
Photo courtesy CDC/Dr. Amanda Loftis, Dr. William Nicholson, Dr. Will Reeves, Dr. Chris Paddock