OBJECTIVE Present study was performed to record the oviposition and egg laying pattern of two phthirapteran species infesting red whiskered Bulbul. METHODS The number of egg laid by each species on different parts of body was recorded by direct observation under stereozoom binocular microscope. Feathers bearing egg were subjected to SEM to observe the pattern of egg laying. RESULTS The maxi...

BACKGROUND Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, occur in four divergent mitochondrial clades (A, B, C and D), each having particular geographical distributions. Recent studies suggest that head lice, as is the case of body lice, can act as a vector for louse-borne diseases. Therefore, understanding the genetic diversity of lice worldwide is of critical importance to our understanding of the ri...

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 4% dimeticone lotion for treatment of head louse infestation. Design Randomised controlled equivalence trial. Setting Community, with home visits. Participants 214 young people aged 4 to 18 years and 39 adults with active head louse infestation. Interventions Two applications seven days apart of either 4.0% dimeticone lotion, applied for eight ho...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 4% dimeticone lotion for treatment of head louse infestation. DESIGN Randomised controlled equivalence trial. SETTING Community, with home visits. PARTICIPANTS 214 young people aged 4 to 18 years and 39 adults with active head louse infestation. INTERVENTIONS Two applications seven days apart of either 4.0% dimeticone lotion, applied for ...

Archaic mummies from northern Chile were examined for the presence of Pediculus humanus capitis. The excellent preservation of mummies and louse nits/eggs permitted a study of the degree of head lice infestation. We studied 63 Chinchorro mummies (ca. 5000-3000 years B.P.) from the Arica-Camarones coast. An area of 2cm×2cm on each mummy's head was systematically inspected for louse nits/eggs. Ha...

Background: Neem oil and wet combing with conditioner are both claimed to facilitate elimination of head louse infestation. The aim of this pilot study was to identify whether a 1% neem oil lotion showed activity itself and/or enhanced the effectiveness of combing in treating infestation. Methods: We treated 47 participants with 1% neem-based lotion on four occasions 3-4 days apart in a randomi...

BACKGROUND Head louse infestations are prevalent worldwide. Over the past 20-25 years, 15-20% of all children in Israel between 4 and 13 years of age have been infested with head lice. This is mainly due to the existence of ineffective pediculicides on the market. OBJECTIVE To examine the pediculicidal efficacy and safety of a natural remedy ("Chick-Chack") and to compare it in an open clinic...

Genomic and transcriptomics analyses have revealed human head and body lice to be almost genetically identical; although con-specific, they nevertheless occupy distinct ecological niches and have differing feeding patterns. Most importantly, while head lice are not known to be vector competent, body lice can transmit three serious bacterial diseases; epidemictyphus, trench fever, and relapsing ...