PEDICULOSIS

SUBMITTED BY:
Rahul Bhardwaj
(M.D., Ph.D, Associate Professor,

SUBMITTED TO:
VOLKOV DIMITRY

03011419
intermediate surgery.)

Department of

WHAT IS PEDICULOSIS?

Pediculosis is an infestation of liceblood-feeding ectoparasitic insects of

the order Phthiraptera. The condition can occur in almost any species of warmblooded animal (i.e., mammals and birds), including humans. Although
"pediculosis" in humans may properly refer to lice infestation of any part of the
body, the term is sometimes used loosely to refer to pediculosis capitis, the
infestation of the human head with the specific head louse.

CLASSIFICATION FOR PEDICULOSIS?

Pediculosis may be divided into the following types:[3]:4468

Pediculosis capitis (Head lice infestation)
Pediculosis corporis (Pediculosis vestimenti, Vagabond's disease)

 Pediculosis pubis (Crabs)

Head Lice
Head-lice infestation is most frequent on children aged 310 and their families.
Approximately 3% of school children in the United States contract head lice. Females
are more frequently infested than males. Those of African descent rarely suffer
infestation due to differences in hair texture.[5]
Head lice are spread through direct head-to-head contact with an infested person.
From each egg or "nit" may hatch one nymph that will grow and develop to the adult
louse. Lice feed on blood once or more often each day by piercing the skin with their
tiny needle-like mouthparts. While feeding they excrete saliva, which irritates the skin
and causes itching.[4] Lice cannot burrow into the skin.

Diagnosis

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To diagnose infestation, the entire scalp should be combed thoroughly with a louse
comb and the teeth of the comb should be examined for the presence of living lice
after each time the comb passes through the hair. The use of a louse comb is the
most effective way to detect living lice.[6]
The most characteristic symptom of infestation is pruritus (itching) on the head which
normally intensifies 3 to 4 weeks after the initial infestation. The bite reaction is very
mild and it can be rarely seen between the hairs. Excessive scratching of the infested
areas can cause sores, which may become infected.

Treatment
The number of diagnosed cases of human louse infestations (or pediculosis) has
increased worldwide since the mid-1960s, reaching hundreds of millions annually.
[7]
There is no product or method which assures 100% destruction of the eggs and
hatched lice after a single treatment. However, there are a number of treatment
modalities that can be employed with varying degrees of success. These methods
include chemical treatments, natural products, combs, shaving, hot air, and silicone-

based lotions. The pharmacological treatment of pediculosis include the use of

crotamiton applied twice at 24 hour interval and washed off day after that. Benzyl
benzoate also can be used when combined with lindane,[citation needed] it is applied once
and then washed off after 24 hours.