Eremeeva Marina E, Durden Lance A, Eisenstat Jonathan, Hargrove Brian C, Mondor Edward B
Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, USA.
Department of Biology, College of Science and Mathematics, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, USA.
Med Vet Entomol. 2025 Mar;39(1):69-77. doi: 10.1111/mve.12763. Epub 2024 Sep 18.
Lice are assuming an increasing importance in forensic investigations, given their capacity to provide information about an individual's care. Head louse pediculosis is a frequent condition in school-age children and can be properly controlled using topical treatments combined with good personal hygiene. Prolonged and chronic infestations may result in more serious outcomes including severe iron deficiency anaemia. We conducted entomological and laboratory investigations of a head louse infestation in a 12-year-old girl who experienced severe anaemia and subsequent death. Numerous lice were found postmortem on the head, face and neck of the patient, as well as on bedding and clothing. Analysis of nits on individual hairs determined that the louse infestation had been present for at least 166 days. The lice had some morphological traits characteristic of body lice: the third antennal segment in some specimens was distinctly longer than wide, and the apices of some paratergal plates did not extend into intersegmental membranes, while other morphological features were characteristic of head or body lice. All lice were heterozygous for the T917I kdr genotype, a marker of permethrin resistance. Nineteen (79.2%, 95%CI 59.5%-90.8%) louse DNA samples tested TaqMan positive for Acinetobacter (Moraxellales; Moraxellaceae) sp. Available information and laboratory findings are further discussed regarding their possible contribution to the negative outcome of this case. We stress the impact head louse pediculosis can have on children with limited parental attention, and how severe head louse infestation may serve as warning sign of neglect, and other high-risk situations.
鉴于虱子能够提供有关个人护理情况的信息，它们在法医调查中的重要性日益凸显。头虱病在学龄儿童中很常见，使用局部治疗结合良好的个人卫生习惯可以得到有效控制。长期和慢性感染可能会导致更严重的后果，包括严重缺铁性贫血。我们对一名12岁患有严重贫血并随后死亡的女孩的头虱感染情况进行了昆虫学和实验室调查。死后在患者的头部、面部和颈部以及床上用品和衣物上发现了大量虱子。对单根头发上的虱卵分析确定，虱子感染已经存在至少166天。这些虱子具有一些体虱的形态特征：一些标本的第三触角节明显长于宽，一些侧板顶端未延伸到节间膜，而其他形态特征则是头虱或体虱的特征。所有虱子对T917I kdr基因型均为杂合子，这是一种氯菊酯抗性标记。19份（79.2%，95%置信区间59.5%-90.8%）虱子DNA样本经TaqMan检测对不动杆菌属（莫拉克斯氏菌目；莫拉克斯氏菌科）呈阳性。我们进一步讨论了现有信息和实验室结果对该病例负面结果可能产生的影响。我们强调头虱病对缺乏父母关注的儿童可能产生的影响，以及严重的头虱感染如何可能成为忽视及其他高风险情况的警示信号。
