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Treatment of head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestation: is regular combing alone with a special detection comb effective at all levels?
Parasitol Res. 2015 Apr; 114(4):1347-53.PR

Abstract

Head lice infestation (HLI) caused by Pediculus humanus capitis has been a public health problem worldwide. Specially designed combs are used to identify head lice, while anti-lice products are applied on the scalp for treatment. In the present study, we aimed to test whether combing only by precision detection comb (PDC) or metal pin comb (MPC) could be effective alternatives to the use of anti-lice products in children. A total of 560 children from two rural schools in Turkey were screened. In the PDC trial, children were combed every second day for 14 days, while in the MPC trial, combing was performed once in every four days for 15 days. Children were divided into two groups (dry combing and wet combing) for both trials and results were compared. The results showed no significant differences between dry and wet combing strategies for both combs for the removal of head lice (p > 0.05). The number of adult head lice declined significantly on each subsequent combing day in both approaches, except on day 15 in the MPC trial. In the end, no louse was found in 54.1 and 48.9% of children in the PDC and MPC trials, respectively. Since family members of infested children were not available, they were not checked for HLI. Four times combing within 2 weeks with MPC combs was found effective for both treatment of low HLI and prevention of heavy HLI. In conclusion, regular combing by special combs decreases HLI level in children and is safely applicable as long-term treatment.

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Publisher Full Text (DOI)

Authors+Show Affiliations

Kurt Ö
School of Science and Letters, Department of Biology, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey, ozgur.kurt@acibadem.edu.tr.
Balcıoğlu IC
No affiliation info available
Limoncu ME
No affiliation info available
Girginkardeşler N
No affiliation info available
Arserim SK
No affiliation info available
Görgün S
No affiliation info available
Oyur T
No affiliation info available
Karakuş M
No affiliation info available
Düzyol D
No affiliation info available
Gökmen AA
No affiliation info available
Kitapçıoğlu G
No affiliation info available
Özbel Y
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AdultAnimalsChildFemaleHair PreparationsHumansLice InfestationsMaleNymphPediculusRural PopulationScalp DermatosesSchoolsTurkey

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

25604670

Citation

Kurt, Özgür, et al. "Treatment of Head Lice (Pediculus Humanus Capitis) Infestation: Is Regular Combing Alone With a Special Detection Comb Effective at All Levels?" Parasitology Research, vol. 114, no. 4, 2015, pp. 1347-53.
Kurt Ö, Balcıoğlu IC, Limoncu ME, et al. Treatment of head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestation: is regular combing alone with a special detection comb effective at all levels? Parasitol Res. 2015;114(4):1347-53.
Kurt, Ö., Balcıoğlu, I. C., Limoncu, M. E., Girginkardeşler, N., Arserim, S. K., Görgün, S., Oyur, T., Karakuş, M., Düzyol, D., Gökmen, A. A., Kitapçıoğlu, G., & Özbel, Y. (2015). Treatment of head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestation: is regular combing alone with a special detection comb effective at all levels? Parasitology Research, 114(4), 1347-53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4311-8
Kurt Ö, et al. Treatment of Head Lice (Pediculus Humanus Capitis) Infestation: Is Regular Combing Alone With a Special Detection Comb Effective at All Levels. Parasitol Res. 2015;114(4):1347-53. PubMed PMID: 25604670.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Treatment of head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestation: is regular combing alone with a special detection comb effective at all levels? AU - Kurt,Özgür, AU - Balcıoğlu,I Cüneyt, AU - Limoncu,M Emin, AU - Girginkardeşler,Nogay, AU - Arserim,Süha K, AU - Görgün,Serhan, AU - Oyur,Tuba, AU - Karakuş,Mehmet, AU - Düzyol,Didem, AU - Gökmen,Aysegül Aksoy, AU - Kitapçıoğlu,Gül, AU - Özbel,Yusuf, Y1 - 2015/01/22/ PY - 2014/11/14/received PY - 2015/01/07/accepted PY - 2015/1/22/entrez PY - 2015/1/22/pubmed PY - 2016/8/12/medline SP - 1347 EP - 53 JF - Parasitology research JO - Parasitol Res VL - 114 IS - 4 N2 - Head lice infestation (HLI) caused by Pediculus humanus capitis has been a public health problem worldwide. Specially designed combs are used to identify head lice, while anti-lice products are applied on the scalp for treatment. In the present study, we aimed to test whether combing only by precision detection comb (PDC) or metal pin comb (MPC) could be effective alternatives to the use of anti-lice products in children. A total of 560 children from two rural schools in Turkey were screened. In the PDC trial, children were combed every second day for 14 days, while in the MPC trial, combing was performed once in every four days for 15 days. Children were divided into two groups (dry combing and wet combing) for both trials and results were compared. The results showed no significant differences between dry and wet combing strategies for both combs for the removal of head lice (p > 0.05). The number of adult head lice declined significantly on each subsequent combing day in both approaches, except on day 15 in the MPC trial. In the end, no louse was found in 54.1 and 48.9% of children in the PDC and MPC trials, respectively. Since family members of infested children were not available, they were not checked for HLI. Four times combing within 2 weeks with MPC combs was found effective for both treatment of low HLI and prevention of heavy HLI. In conclusion, regular combing by special combs decreases HLI level in children and is safely applicable as long-term treatment. SN - 1432-1955 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/25604670/Treatment_of_head_lice__Pediculus_humanus_capitis__infestation:_is_regular_combing_alone_with_a_special_detection_comb_effective_at_all_levels DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -