Speare Rick, Cahill Christine, Thomas Genelle
Head Lice Research Centre, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.
Int J Dermatol. 2003 Aug;42(8):626-9. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-4362.2003.01927.x.
Due to a lack of evidence, controversy exists about the role of bedding in the transmission of head lice.
To determine the proportion of the head lice population found on pillowcases of people with head lice, and to test strategies available to householders to kill head lice on pillowcases.
To assess the incidence of head lice on pillowcases, people with active pediculosis had their head lice collected and counted and the pillowcase they had used the night before examined for head lice. To test strategies to kill head lice on pillowcases, live head lice were experimentally placed in miniature pillowcases, and the cases were subjected to a hot wash, a cold wash, hot dryer, and hanging out to dry on an outdoor clothes line.
Forty-eight people and their pillowcases were recruited from Townsville, Qld, Australia (dry tropics). One thousand, eight hundred and forty-five lice were collected from their heads to give an average and median intensity of infection of 38.4 and 21 lice, respectively. Two of the 48 pillowcases contained live lice, one nymph on each, 2 h and 9 h after the pillowcases had been removed from the bed. Another pillowcase contained a dehydrated nymph. The incidence of live lice on pillowcases was 4.2% per night and the proportion of the head louse population on the pillowcases was 0.11%. Heat (hot wash and hot clothes dryer) killed head lice experimentally placed in pillowcases. Cold wash and hanging pillowcases out to dry did not kill head lice.
Head lice transfer to pillowcases at night, but the incidence is low. Pillowcases pose a risk for re-infection with head lice, but the risk is low, and changing the pillowcase is a reasonably cost-efficient strategy to minimize this risk. Lice on pillowcases can be killed by heating the pillowcase by immersion in water at > 60 degrees C, by a hot wash, or by 15 min in a hot clothes dryer.
由于缺乏证据，关于床上用品在头虱传播中的作用存在争议。
确定在有头虱人群的枕套上发现的头虱数量比例，并测试可供住户使用的杀死枕套上头虱的策略。
为评估枕套上头虱的发生率，对患有活动性头虱病的人收集并计数其头虱，并检查他们前一晚使用的枕套是否有头虱。为测试杀死枕套上头虱的策略，将活头虱实验性地放置在微型枕套中，然后对这些枕套进行热水洗涤、冷水洗涤、热烘干机烘干以及挂在户外晾衣绳上晾干处理。
从澳大利亚昆士兰州汤斯维尔（热带干燥地区）招募了48人及其枕套。从他们头上收集到1845只虱子，平均感染强度和中位数感染强度分别为38.4只和21只虱子。在48个枕套中，有2个在从床上取下后2小时和9小时分别含有1只活若虫。另一个枕套含有1只脱水若虫。枕套上活虱子的发生率为每晚4.2%，枕套上头虱数量占头虱总数的比例为0.11%。加热（热水洗涤和热烘干机烘干）可杀死实验性放置在枕套中的头虱。冷水洗涤和将枕套挂在户外晾干不能杀死头虱。
头虱在夜间会转移到枕套上，但发生率较低。枕套存在再次感染头虱的风险，但风险较低，更换枕套是将这种风险降至最低的一种合理且具有成本效益的策略。通过将枕套浸泡在60摄氏度以上的水中加热、热水洗涤或在热烘干机中烘15分钟，可以杀死枕套上的虱子。
