Pediculosis Infestation Research Articles

Factors Affecting Pediculosis capitis Transmission among Primary School Children

Introduction: Human head lice infest people worldwide and are most prevalent in children. Outbreaks of head lice more commonly affect children 3 to 12 years old, with girls being affected more commonly than boys. The aim is to study the factors affecting transmission of the disease among the school children in villages in Benghazi - Libya.
 Patients and Methods: In a cross-sectional study in western region of Benghazi, 556 students in three schools from Alhlys, Alatry and Abofakra regions were enrolled. The ages of children ranged from 6 to 13 years. Data collected include socio-demographic characteristics of the students, sex, age, school and hair were examined individually for head lice infestation in a separate room. Descriptive analysis and Chi-square test was used to determine the statistical significance of p-value ≤ 0.05.
 Results: The data were collected on 556 students from the 3 villages: 39.7% from Al-Helys, 28.8% from Al-Tarya and 31.5% from Abofakra regions. The age of children ranged from 6 to13 years. Female children were more than 50%. The mean of family size was 7±2 persons, number of bedroom in houses ranged from 1-5 rooms.. Sharing of personal equipment such as hair comb and linen was reported in 33.5% of families. Pediculosis capitis manifestation was reported in 26.3% of the participants. The prevalence of pediculosis capitis was 19.5% in Al-Helys, 35.6% in Al-Tarya and 26.3% in Bo-Fakra; this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05) . The prevalence of pediculosis capitis in males was 10.2%, while in females was 41.8% , this difference was highly statistically significant (p =0.0001) The highest prevalence of pediculosis capitis was in age of 11 years old (42.9%), followed by age of 10 years old (36.6%). There were no reported cases at the age of 6 and 13 years. There was no effect of parent occupation or education level on pediculosis infestation transmission.
 Conclusion: The present study revealed that, Pediculosis capitis was prevalent in school children, more in females. Furthermore pediculosis was higher in certain villages than others.

Информационно–методическое письмо "Анализ заболеваемости педикулёзом в Российской Федерации и использование современных педикулицидных средств для его лечения и профилактики (по состоянию на 01.01 2022)"

The morbidity of human lice in the Russian Federation in 2016–2021 was analyzed. High intensive infection rates were registered in the Central, Northwestern and Far Eastern Federal Districts. The maximum level of pediculosis infestation of the population was noted in Moscow (88.7–96.1 % of all cases of this disease in the Central Federal District). The resistance of lice to permethrin led to a decrease in the pediculicidal activity of pediculicides based on it. The range of modern drugs effective against permethrin-resistant head and body lice and the dynamics of the ratio of pediculicides based on substances from different groups of insecticides during 1991–2021 were analyzed. Keywords: pediculosis, Pediculus humanus, resistance, pyrethroids, pediculicides.

Pediculosis As a Possible Contributor to Community-Acquired MRSA Bacteremia and Native Mitral Valve Endocarditis

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia is a known cause of infective endocarditis. In this case report, we describe a patient with community-acquired MRSA bacteremia and subsequent mitral valve endocarditis. This patient was noted to be without commonly recognized risk factors for MRSA bacteremia, thus her likely source was skin colonization, with skin trauma facilitated by pediculosis infestation.

Head lice were also affected by COVID-19: a decrease on Pediculosis infestation during lockdown in Buenos Aires.

Pediculosis is a worldwide disease affecting school-aged children produced by the presence of the head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer, an obligate ectoparasite on the human scalp feeding exclusively on blood. Transmission occurs primarily through direct physical head-to-head contact. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a variant of the coronavirus. Therefore, on March 18, 2020, the Argentinean government established mandatory isolation for an indefinite period. This obligatory isolation interrupted regular classes avoiding direct contact between children, thus affecting the dispersal route of individuals and the evolution of head louse populations. In this study, we evaluated through an online survey how confinement affected the prevalence of lice during lockdown compared to the situation prior to confinement. The survey allowed to discriminate the different control strategies, the number of treatments, and the amount of insects recorded by parents. Data of 1118 children obtained from 627 surveys were analyzed. As the main result, it was observed that prevalence of lice decreased significantly from before (69.6%) to during (43.9%) COVID-19 lockdown. Moreover, head lice infestation was more effectively controlled in households with up to 2 children in comparison to households with 3 or more children. This is the first study that analyzed the prevalence of head lice during COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this work demonstrated the impact of social distance in the population dynamics of head lice and how it could affect the control strategies in the future.

A 12 Year-Old Girl with Severe Iron Deficiency Anemia Secondary to Chronic Pediculosis Infestation

A 12 year-old female presented to an outside emergency department with her grandmother due to worsening fatigue over the preceding six months. She also reported intermittent right-sided abdominal discomfort for two months. The patient's past medical history was only remarkable for chronic infestation withPediculus humanus capitis(head louse), reportedly treated multiple times with topical medications without resolution. The infection had been persistent for six years. She did not consume excessive amounts of cow's milk. Physical exam was remarkable for pallor, tachycardia, systolic ejection murmur and visible nits. Laboratory studies showed hemoglobin 4.7 g/dL, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) 53.4 fL, reticulocytes 3.9%, white blood cell count 14.2 x 103 /µL, platelet count 449 x 103 /µL, total iron binding capacity (TIBC) 472 µg/dL, serum iron 8 µg/dL, iron saturation 2%, and ferritin 2 ng/mL. Peripheral blood smear showed a severe microcytic hypochromic anemia with anisopoikilocytosis, without schistocytes or blasts. She was premenarchal. Stool was negative for occult blood, ova and parasites, and celiac studies were negative. A diagnosis of iron deficiency of anemia (IDA) was made by the classic presentation of microcytic, hypochromic anemia with hypoferritinemia and elevated TIBC, along with an inappropriately low reticulocyte count. The most common etiologies of iron deficiency anemia in children were ruled out by history and laboratory evaluation, making chronic pediculosis the most likely cause in this patient. She received aggressive treatment for pediculosis, packed red blood cell transfusions, and oral ferrous sulfate. By day 65 after presentation, her laboratory values had normalized (hemoglobin of 13.6 g/dL, MCV of 80.3 fL, ferritin of 28 ng/mL). Pediculosis infestation remained resolved. Iron deficiency is the leading etiology of anemia worldwide and the most common hematologic disorder. Parasitic and vector-borne infections are a common cause of IDA internationally, but uncommon in developed countries. Severe iron deficiency secondary to pediculosis in children is an exceedingly rare entity despite high infestation rates, with nearly 40% of North American children affected.Pediculus humanusis an Arthropod species of sucking lice belonging to the familyPediculidae. The two subspecies arePediculus humanus capitis(head louse) andPediculus humanus humanus(body louse). The average child with pediculosis infestation will average 0.008 mL of blood loss per day due to louse consumption; however, heavily infested children can lose up to 0.7 mL per day. Thus, the patient may have had greater than 1.5 liters of blood consumed during her period of infestation. To our knowledge, this is the only reported case of a child in the United States with severe IDA secondary to chronic severe lice infestation. Iron deficiency is likely an under-recognized complication of severe and/or chronic pediculosis. In patients with history of mental health conditions, homelessness, or children who are in neglectful social situations, an evaluation of hemoglobin and iron status by the pediatrician may be a useful adjunct in severe cases. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Prevalence of Head Lice Infestation (Pediculosis Capitis) Among Primary School Students in the Meshkin Shahr of Ardabil Province

Head lice infestation is so common in all parts of the world such as Iran especially in places with high population with poverty and lack of observing personal health principles. The maximum prevalence of louse infestation in children was observed in elementary school. Over prevalence of infestation in this age group and its relationship with education system and thus its generalization to the total population was the main reason of selecting this age group for the present study. This study was descriptive-analytical which aimed to determine the prevalence of head lice in elementary schools students of Meshkin Shahr city in Ardebil province in academic year 2015-2016. 1950 students were selected from 20 schools. For data analysis, the variables were analyzed as multivariate by chi-square test. In general, 1950 students were selected from 20 schools from which 200 students (10.25%) were infested to head lice. From 200 infested students (61%) were city and 78 students (39%) were from village. The ratio of the students in classes with more than 20 students was two times the others and the ratio of the students that studied in the schools with more than 100 students was three times the other schools. The difference between both groups was significant in terms of Pediculosis infestation. (P<0.01). It can be concluded that a set of important factors like crowdedness of students in classroom and school, high population of family, low level of parents’ education were the main reasons of louse infestation and its increase in the current societies.

Impact of theory-based educational intervention on explaining preventive pediculosis infestation behavior among primary school students.

BackgroundDespite the fact that improved health, social, and economic situations have significantly affected the reduction of its infestation, pediculosis is still spreading worldwide.AimThis study is conducted to evaluate the explanatory power of health belief model constructs in adoption of preventive pediculosis infestation behavior in female primary school students.MethodsThis study involves two stages. First, a cross-sectional study was conducted. In the second stage, a quasi-experimental intervention was performed. One hundred eighty female elementary school students in Omidiyeh County were randomly selected in two 90-subject groups (experimental and control). Samples were matched in two groups in terms of demographic variables. A group of educational intervention was based on the most effective construct of the first stage; and the educational intervention of control group was based on the low-effective construct. The path analysis and LISREL 8.5 software was utilized to compare the fit and the variance cover percentage of adopting preventive pediculosis infestation behaviors.ResultsAccording to the pre-intervention findings, there was no significant difference between experimental and control groups in terms of factors affecting the adoption of preventive pediculosis infestation behavior. This model had a weaker fit in the experimental than the control group, but these indices had better status after intervention in the experimental than the control group. Meanwhile, the cover percentage of explained variance for the experimental group after educational intervention was higher than pre-intervention, but it was lower in the control group. Finally, health belief model constructs (including the knowledge, cue to action, perceived susceptibility and severity, perceived benefits and barriers, and self-efficacy) in the experimental group, had better fit after the educational intervention compared with pre-intervention.ConclusionEfficiency of the health belief model was approved for adopting preventive pediculosis infestation behavior in female primary school students. The future intervention studies should utilize the structural equation modeling approach separately in experimental and control groups to compare the changes in behavior between different demographic groups in the field of pediculosis infestation behavior.

Epidemiological study of Pediculosis in elementary schools of Arica, northern Chile

Pediculosis is an ectoparasitosis infestation that has not received much attention in northern Chile despite it is a common reoccurring condition among school-age children. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of Pediculus humanus capitis infestation in elementary schools of Arica. A group of 665 elementary school students from the Province of Arica were screened between August and November 2010; 467 children who met the inclusion criteria were selected. After parents and students signed an informed consent, the diagnosis was carried out through examination of the head with naked eye in each participating school, recording the presence of Pediculus humanus capitis, infestation level and parasite stage. 40.3% (188) of the children presented Pediculosis; the six schools studied were affected. Pediculosis infestation in girls reached 55.2% (138/250) and 23% (50/217) in boys. The school population of Arica is significantly affected by Pediculosis and its prevalence is similar to other regions.

Prevalence of Pediculus humanus capitis infestation among kindergarten children in Bahía Blanca city, Argentina

The human head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer (Anoplura: Pediculidae), is a worldwide public health concern. This human obligate ectoparasite usually infests school age children. The aim of this work was to investigate the prevalence of head lice in kindergarten children from Bahia Blanca. In addition, the influence of risk factors for pediculosis infestation, such as gender, hair characteristics, and socioeconomic class, was studied in relation to the prevalence of this ectoparasite. From a total of 220 pupils examined (125 girls and 95 boys), 94 showed pediculosis. The overall prevalence of head lice infestation was 42.7 %. Pediculosis was more frequent in girls (53.6 %) than in boys (28.4 %) and in medium, long, and very long hairs. No differences were found between socioeconomic classes. This indicated that head lice are relatively common in kindergarten children from Bahía Blanca.

Fungal and parasitic skin infestations

This review summarizes the information published in the past year on the treatment of fungal and parasitic skin infestations. The literature on fungal skin infections has been dominated by reports defining the efficacy, frequency, duration, side effects and drug interactions as well as the costs of treatment for the superficial and deep dermatophytoses. The main antifungal agents now under clinical investigation include the newly developed drugs amorolfine, terbmafme, itraconazole, fluconazole, naftifine and saperconazole. There is also renewed interest in older agents, re-defining their use and suitability with new information relating to different methods of administration. Trials have included comparisons of different vehicles to maximize efficacy and minimize side effects, including systemic treatment with liposomal amphotericin B. The search continues for the most effective therapy against the onychomycoses. From the wealth of publications in the past year, this review concentrates on three areas of therapy for parasite skin infestations; the treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis; permethrin as a treatment for scabies; and pediculosis infestation and the use of ivermectin in treating onchocerciais.

A comparative study of seven pediculicides and their packaged nit removal combs

The incidence of pediculosis infestation is greater than that for all childhood communicable diseases combined. Each year approximately 6 to 12 million persons become infested, resulting in an estimated cost of $367 million to manage the problem. Pediatric health care providers are often confused regarding proper management of head lice because of the multitude of manufacturer claims in the competitive advertising market. This comparative study was designed to evaluate the combined efficacy of seven pediculicidal agents with their supplied nit removal combs in the treatment of head lice. A sample of children (n = 223) was studied from 4271 children screened at various elementary schools throughout Florida. The results of this study can assist school health care providers and pediatric nurse practitioners in identifying the most effective nit removal comb and those children at risk for head lice infestations.