In this paper we use detailed data about the biology of the head louse (pediculus humanus capitis) to build a model of the evolution of head lice colonies. Using theory and computer simulations, we show that the model can be used to assess the impact of the various strategies usually applied to eradicate head lice, both conscious (treatments) and unconscious (grooming). In the case of treatment...

The body louse, Pediculus humanus humanus, is an obligate blood-feeding ectoparasite and an important insect vector that mediates the transmission of diseases to humans. The analysis of the body louse genome revealed a drastic reduction of the chemosensory gene repertoires when compared to other insects, suggesting specific olfactory adaptations to host specialization and permanent parasitic li...

Parasites can be used as unique markers to investigate host evolutionary history, independent of host data. Here we show that modern human head lice, Pediculus humanus, are composed of two ancient lineages, whose origin predates modern Homo sapiens by an order of magnitude (ca. 1.18 million years). One of the two louse lineages has a worldwide distribution and appears to have undergone a popula...

BACKGROUND Dimeticone 4% lotion was shown to be an effective treatment for head louse infestation in two randomised controlled trials in England. It is not affected by insecticide resistance but efficacy obtained (70-75%) was lower than expected. This study was designed to evaluate efficacy of dimeticone 4% lotion in a geographically, socially, and culturally different setting, in rural Turkey ...

Objective: To determine if, in patients with head lice, spinosad cream rinse is more effective than permethrin. Design: Two identical, multicenter, randomized, evaluator/investigator-blinded, active-controlled trials. Setting: Twelve clinical research centers from the United States. Patients: People older than 6 months with live lice infestation as assessed by an evaluator. Intervention: Cluste...

Despite the most recent synopsis of the North American sucking louse fauna by Kim et al. (1986), large gaps still exist in the documented geographic range for many of the species. It is important to document the geographical distributions of sucking lice because some species are known to be enzootic vectors of zoonotic pathogens and it is suspected that additional sucking lice are vectors of ot...

Lice are obligate parasites of mammals and birds and have become an important model for studies of host-parasite co-evolution and co-phylogenetics. Population genetic and phylogeographic studies represent an important bridge between microevolution and co-phylogenetic patterns. We examine co-phylogeographic patterns in sika deer and their parasitic lice. Co-phylogeographic patterns in deer and l...