Abstract
BackgroundThe head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, is the most important ectoparasite causing many health problems. Several linkages are presented for this parasite, each representing a particular geographical distribution, prevalence rate, vector competence, susceptibility to pediculicides, and infestation rate. Determining the genetic nature of these linkages is necessary to identify the population structure and also to develop and monitor control programmes against head lice. This study was designed to analyse cox1 and cytb genes and determine the mitochondrial clades in head lice populations in the northwest of Iran.MethodsAdult head lice were collected from infested females of Ardabil, East and West Azerbaijan, and Zanjan Provinces from 2016 to 2018. Partial fragments of the mitochondrial genes cox1 and cytb were amplified by PCR and some of the amplicons were sequenced. All confirmed sequences were analysed, and the frequency of each mitochondrial clade was determined in the studied areas.ResultsA total of 6410 females were clinically examined, and 897 adult head lice were collected from 562 infested cases. Genomic DNA was extracted from 417 samples, and fragments of cox1 and cytb genes were amplified in 348 individuals. Analysis of the 116 sequences showed the 632-bp and 495-bp fragments for cox1 and cytb genes, respectively. The nucleotide and haplotype diversities of cytb and cox1 genes were 0.02261 and 0.589 and 0.01443 and 0.424, respectively. Sequence analysis indicated 6 haplotypes clustered in two clades, A and B. The relative prevalence of clade B was 73% for cytb and 82% for cox1 gene. Haplotypes of clade B were found in all the studied areas, while those of clade A were observed only in rural and suburban areas.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first study investigated deeply the field populations of Pediculus and documented two clades in the Middle East. The considerable prevalence of pediculosis in the studied areas requires authorities’ attention to establish effective control and preventive measures. Given the role of cytb in monitoring population groups, application of this marker is suggested for future epigenetic studies to evaluate the factors affecting the abundance of these clades.
Highlights
The head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, is the most important ectoparasite causing many health problems
Of 6410 females enrolled in this study, 562 girls (8.7%) were infested with P. humanus capitis
The present study showed that 8.7% of the girls in various schools in northwestern Iran were infested with pediculosis
Summary
The head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, is the most important ectoparasite causing many health problems. The head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer, is an important hematophagous ectoparasite of humans, and Ghavami et al Parasites Vectors (2020) 13:485 attention deficit in the class and educational failure, lack of social status, developing secondary infections, and hair loss [2, 3]. This louse has been associated with humans for thousand years and is dispersed throughout the world due to human migration [4, 5]. The ability of head lice to transmit R. prowazekii has been indicated only in laboratory experiments, and evidence for such transmission in the field has not yet been reported [12, 13]
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