In vitro efficacy of synthetic skin repellent IR3535 on head lice (Pediculus capitis).

In in vitro tests, skin repellent IR3535, applied in the form of the Diffusil H Prevental product in an aerosol bomb (active compound 20%), killed 100% of head lice (females and males) and nymphs 2 and 3, when directly sprayed at a dose of 0.94 mg of the active compound per square centimeter. Crawling lice exposed for 1 min on the filter paper impregnated by the same concentration showed no effort to suck blood 30 min after exposition. Twenty hours later, their mortality rate was 11 %. After the lice had been exposed for approximately 1 min (until they actively left the area) on 5 cm round areas of skin of test persons treated with the repellent at a mean total dose of 23.3 mg of active compound, they showed no effort to suck blood on the clean skin of other test person either immediately after exposure or 30 min later. Their mortality after 20 h ranged from 59 to 16%, depending on the time elapsed from skin treatment (10 min to 27 h).