Hunter J A, Barker S C
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Queensland, 4072 Brisbane, Australia.
Parasitol Res. 2003 Aug;90(6):476-8. doi: 10.1007/s00436-003-0881-y. Epub 2003 Jun 26.
Infestation with head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, is a worldwide problem, especially among primary (elementary) school children. Although studies in many different countries indicate lower levels of susceptibility to certain insecticides than expected ("resistance"), there is no empirical data from Australia. Data on the susceptibility of head lice to malathion, pyrethrums and permethrin were collected from four schools in Brisbane and one school in northern Queensland. Since no completely susceptible strain of head lice was available and head lice are difficult to keep in culture, a completely susceptible strain of body lice, Pediculus humanus humanus, was used for reference. All five groups of head lice were less susceptible to malathion, pyrethrums and permethrin than were lice from the reference strain. Moreover, the degree of susceptibility to these insecticides varied substantially among schools. Thus, a pediculicide that controlled lice at one school in Brisbane would not necessarily control head lice at another school in the same city. These preliminary data indicate that detailed information on the susceptibility of the different populations of head lice in Queensland to the different insecticides available is needed to maximize the chance of effective control of these increasingly common parasites.
头虱（人头虱，Pediculus humanus capitis）感染是一个全球性问题，在小学生中尤为常见。尽管许多不同国家的研究表明，对头虱对某些杀虫剂的易感性低于预期（“抗性”），但澳大利亚尚无实证数据。从布里斯班的四所学校和昆士兰州北部的一所学校收集了头虱对马拉硫磷、除虫菊和氯菊酯的易感性数据。由于没有完全易感的头虱菌株，且头虱难以培养，因此使用完全易感的体虱（人体虱，Pediculus humanus humanus）菌株作为参考。所有五组头虱对马拉硫磷、除虫菊和氯菊酯的易感性均低于参考菌株的虱子。此外，不同学校对头虱对这些杀虫剂的易感性程度差异很大。因此，在布里斯班一所学校能控制头虱的灭虱剂，不一定能在同一城市的另一所学校控制头虱。这些初步数据表明，需要详细了解昆士兰不同头虱种群对现有不同杀虫剂的易感性，以最大程度提高有效控制这些日益常见寄生虫的几率。
