Abstract
Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer (Psocodea: Pediculidae) that failed to respond to pyrethroid insecticide-based treatment products were first identified in London and Cambridge, UK, in 1993 after which reports of treatment failure arose throughout the UK. There was a need amongst healthcare workers for a rapid detection method for resistance that could be used at the community level. A laboratory service was set up so that health professionals could send lice by overnight post for bioassay testing for resistance. In addition, test kits were provided so that testing could either be conducted on site or lice could be shipped to the laboratory on pre-treated test papers so that insecticide exposure could proceed while lice were in transit to the laboratory. Between 1994 and 1999, over 350 samples from 145 locations were tested and during this time populations of lice resistant to pyrethroids, malathion, and carbaryl were identified from all parts of the country, both urban and rural. In some areas, lice were only resistant to one of the insecticides available but in other places lice showed tolerance to all three insecticides used at the time.
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Data used for log-probit calculations may be obtained from the author. Sources of samples are listed in Table S1.
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Acknowledgements
I wish to thank all the anonymous school nurses, health visitors, and primary care practitioners who forwarded samples for analysis.
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Barnet Research Ethics Committee for a study in North London; South Bedfordshire Local Research Ethics Committee for a study in Bedford.
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436_2022_7737_MOESM1_ESM.jpg
Supplementary file1 Logtime probit mortality regression lines comparing the effect of malathion 393μg cm-2 on clothing lice using filter papers treated with different malathion solutions. Line1 (blue) propan-2-ol solvent, Line 2 (yellow) olive oil solvent prepared in ourlaboratory, Line 3 (red) olive oil solvent purchased from WHO (JPG 143 KB)
436_2022_7737_MOESM2_ESM.jpg
Supplementary file2 Prescribing trends in the UK of insecticide-based head louse treatments 2017-2021. A = 1% permethrin scalp application and B = 0.5% malathion aqueous liquid. Note, some 0.5% malathion prescribing may have been for scabies treatment in addition to head lice and the dip in prescribing in 2019 was due to supply issues for the product. Data downloaded from OpenPrescribing.net, The DataLab,University of Oxford, 2022 on 22nd March 2022. (JPG 524 KB)
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Burgess, I.F. Head lice: an inexpensive bioassay for use as guidance for healthcare workers monitoring treatment failures for insecticide resistance (1994–1999). Parasitol Res 122, 425–433 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07737-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07737-8