Head louse infestations are increasing or remain high in most countries. In order to reduce the proportion of children infested with head lice and slow down the emergence of strains of lice resistant to pediculicides, more active involvement of health and educational authorities, as well as parents, is of paramount importance. We suggest that health authorities should introduce more efficient m...

The human head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) and body louse (P. humanus corporis or P. h. humanus) are strict, obligate human ectoparasites that differ mainly in their habitat on the host : the head louse lives and feeds exclusively on the scalp, whereas the body louse feeds on the body but lives in clothing. This ecological differentiation probably arose when humans adopted frequent use of...

Background: A neem-based conditioner lotion (ONC) used against head lice was previously tested clinically and shown to be relatively ineffective. To improve the activity against lice and their eggs, it was reformulated into a silicone vehicle (NNC) as part of a project to improve pediculicidal medical devices. An ultrasound nit comb was also developed to be used in conjunction with the neem lot...

Five vaal ribbok, culled in the Bontebok National Park during December 1979, were examined for helminth and arthropod parasites. Ten nematode species, a louse and 2 tick species were recovered and there was also evidence of previous infestation by the larvae of 2 oestrid flies. The parasite burdens of the vaal ribbok are compared with those of sympatric bontebok and springbok culled at the same...

We studied the profile of permethrin resistance in populations of head lice infesting children 6-12 yr old in schools and their homes in and around Buenos Aires, Argentina. Five permethrin-resistant populations with different levels of resistance were collected: Hogar Loyola (HL), Republica de Turquia (RT), Hogar Mitre (HM), Guardia de Honor (GH), and Ricardo Guiraldes (RG). One susceptible pop...

A suggestion from the Office of The Surgeon General of the United States Army to the National Research Council led, in 1942, to the development of an effective pyrethrum-containing louse powder, MYL, by a United States Department of Agriculture group working in Orlando, Fla. Field tests of this powder in artificial louse infestations during the summer of 1942 gave such promising results (Davis ...