Background Head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, is an obligatory blood-sucking ectoparasite, distributed worldwide. Phylogenetically, it occurs in five divergent mitochondrial clades (A–E); each exhibiting a particular geographical distribution. Recent studies suggest that, as in the case of body louse, head louse could be a disease vector. We aimed to study the genetic diversity of head lice collected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and to screen for louse-borne pathogens in these lice. Methods A total of 181 head lice were collected from 27 individuals at the Monkole Hospital Center located in Kinshasa. All head lice were genotyped and screened for the presence of louse-borne bacteria using molecular methods. We searched for Bartonella …
Scalp microbiota alterations in children with pediculosis.
“Pediculosis is a disease caused by the insect Pediculus humanus capitis that mainly occurs in childhood. A comparative study was carried out evaluating groups of schoolchildren with (group A) and without pediculosis (group B) to analyse the characteristics of the scalp microbiota. Samples were collected by swab using Stuart transport medium and incubate in Sabouraud dextrose agar with tetracycline to analyse the fungal microbiota and in blood agar to assess the bacterial microbiota. The isolates identity was confirmed by sequencing of the 16S and 18S regions of the ribosomal DNA gene for bacteria and fungi, respectively. The analysis of the 186 isolates led to the identification of 35 bacteria and 40 fungi in group A and 47 bacteria and 64 fungi in group B. The results indicate …
Scalp microbiota alterations in children with pediculosis.Read More
Head Lice Recognize and Prefer Head Odor Over Foot and Forearms Odors
“Human head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae), are hematophagous parasites that infest human heads. They are extreme host specialists suggesting a strict selection behavior towards the human head by the parasites. Despite the public health relevance of P. humanus capitis, the role of chemical clues to select the human head is not well known. In the present study, we attempted to find out whether head lice recognize and select the odor of the head over the odor of other parts of the human body. Our results using a two-choice olfactometer demonstrated that head lice were highly attracted by the volatile compounds of the human odor air, but they did not show preference for the volatiles of head compared to the volatiles of other parts of the body (forearm or …
Head Lice Recognize and Prefer Head Odor Over Foot and Forearms OdorsRead More
Report of the human body louse (Pediculus humanus) from clothes sold in a market in central Italy
“Pediculus humanus, the human body louse, is widespread where overcrowding and lack of hygiene are present, in areas of the world affected by poverty, war, famine and presence of refugees. It has recently been considered re-emerging among homeless populations in developed countries. In Italy, it was last reported in 1945. Pediculus humanus is a vector of highly relevant human pathogens.” De Liberato C1, Magliano A2, Romiti F2, Menegon M3, Mancini F3, Ciervo A3, Di Luca M3, Toma L3. Parasit Vectors. 2019 May 3;12(1):201. doi: 10.1186/s13071-019-3458-z See full article: Report of the human body louse (Pediculus humanus) from clothes sold in a market in central Italy. …
The Sensory Machinery of the Head Louse Pediculus humanus capitis: From the Antennae to the Brain
“Insect antennae are sophisticated sensory organs, usually covered with sensory structures responsible for the detection of relevant signals of different modalities coming from the environment. Despite the relevance of the head louse Pediculus humanus capitis as a human parasite, the role of its antennal sensory system in the highly dependent relation established with their hosts has been barely studied. In this work, we present a functional description of the antennae of these hematophagous insects by applying different approaches, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), anterograde antennal fluorescent backfills, and behavioral experiments with intact or differentially antennectomized lice. Results constitute a first approach to identify and describe the head louse antennal …
Prevalence of Ectoparasitic Infections and Other Dermatological Infections and Their Associated Factors among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka
“Skin disorders are one of the commonest conditions among school children in developing countries. There are only a few published studies available from Sri Lanka on the prevalence of skin disorders. A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among five government-run schools randomly selected from the district of Gampaha, Sri Lanka, during 2016-2017. A total of 41 students between 5 and 16 years of age were randomly selected from each school. Sociodemographic profile and hygienic behaviors of selected students were assessed using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. Students were examined by a medical officer for the presence of different skin disorders. The chi-squared test of association and binary logistic regression were used for the identification of the …
Partnering With The LiceMeister® Comb
Seed Of Nations International Centre's The Nehemiah Project -Partnering With The LiceMeister® Comb This year's Mission Trip to Jayuya, Puerto Rico 2019 provided education on eradicating head lice through combing with the Licemeister® Comb. Proper techniques for combing out nits and head lice were communicated to provide a safe and effective methodology for combating head lice infestations. Letter to NPA from Seed of Nations DATE: May 31, 2019 TO: Deborah Z. Altschuler —President National Pediculosis Association®, Inc. FROM: Apostle Evelyn L. Cobb Seed Of Nations International Centre RE: 2019 Jayuya, Puerto Rico Trip Summary Report FEBRUARY 19, 2019 - Day 3 - We traveled to the Escuela Segunda Unidad Antonia Serrano Gonzalez, an Elementary and middle school located in the …
Helping Each New Generation of Parents Tackle the Age-Old Challenge of Head Lice – Safely and Effectively
The National Pediculosis Association Continues its Leadership Role with New Educational Resources and the Tools to CombFirst! NEWTON, Mass. March 26, 2019 No matter how each new generation of parents differs from its predecessors, one fact remains the same—sooner or later, they will be challenged by a lice infestation first identified at school, a childcare center, or camp. What’s changed and improved, though, is parents’ access to a wealth of tools and resources for treating children with lice—without the use of potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides. The catalyst behind these changes is the National Pediculosis Association (NPA)—a nonprofit organization whose impact has continued to grow over the 36 years since its founding. The NPA advocates for the highest possible …
Louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis infection)
“Louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) is an epidemic disease with a fascinating history from Hippocrates’ times, through the 6th century ‘Yellow Plague’, to epidemics in Ireland, Scotland and England in the 19th century and two large Afro-Middle Eastern pandemics in the 20th century. An endemic focus persists in Ethiopia and adjacent territories in the Horn of Africa. Since 2015, awareness of LBRF in Europe, as a re-emerging disease, has been increased dramatically by the discovery of this infection in dozens of refugees arriving from Africa.The causative spirochaete, Borrelia recurrentis, has a genome so similar to B. duttonii and B. crocidurae (causes of East and West African tick-borne relapsing fever), that they are now regarded as merely ecotypes of a single genomospecies. Transmission …
Louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis infection)Read More