A recent research project reveals that head lice have developed resistance to treatment, which could cause people quite a lot of trouble considering how often contamination occurs.
Along the years, lice have been regarded as a disease of the poor and dirty, but in reality this is absolutely not the case. There are numerous urban myths that say that people get lice from not washing their hair or mainly due to precarious personal hygiene, but the small parasites actually tend to make their way into every kind of environment, regardless of the state of hygiene of the host.
Contamination occurs when the small critters are allowed to pass from their host’s hair to a new host’s hair. This means that people can get them by touching their hair to a contaminated person’s or even by borrowing a hat from a somebody who has lice. This is one of the reasons why hats have been included in the category of personal items that should never be borrowed; nor lent, for that matter.
Because this is a behavioral pattern mostly associated with children, lice are extremely prevalent among school kids who engage in all of this risky conduct. Millions of American children get lice every year, and as soon as one gets them, all of his classmates are exposed and the parasites start spreading.
There are numerous over-the-counter shampoos that can get rid of the lice, that people have been using for years and years now, because they offer a simple solution to a very uncomfortable situation.
However, due to the fact that most of these special shampoos contain the same active substance, specifically permethrin or some other pesticide from the pyrethroid group, the small little critters seem to have adapted to the harsh environmental conditions and they have created specialized genetic mutations to be able to survive the effects of the pesticides.
This is what Dr. Kyong S. Yoon, a biology researcher from the Southern Illinois University,who has conducted his entire PhD research on lice, has discovered in his many years of closely studying the small parasites. He has concluded that the lice have three types of genetic mutations that enable them to survive the action of the pyrethroids.
According to his latest research project, the situation is quite dire, because the majority of American lice seem to possess the entire trio of genetic mutations and therefore, they display a very strong resistance to the pesticides. Dr. Yoon has gathered lice samples from a total of 30 American states and after studying their genetic baggage, he has concluded that 25 states have lice with the complete trio of genetic mutation.
He clearly pointed out that this situation was absolutely predictable, but that swift action must be taken, so that the adaptation process of the lice is stunted as soon as possible. This can only be done by striking the small critters with other pesticides than those of the pyrethroid group. He suggested replacing them with ivermectin or some other accessible alternatives.
However, this measure will not be enough to solve the solution on the long run, because the lice will eventually develop resistance to the ivermectin as well. This is why it is crucial that the research for developing newer and more effective pesticides be continued, so that we are always left with alternatives for the treatment.
The most important thing that people need to remember is to seek a treatment shampoo that isn’t based on a pyrethroid, but rather on ivermectin or some other active substance. The best possible way to get the correct treatment is to address a medical professional, so people are advised to pay a visit to their family doctor if they happen to notice the small critters in their hair or that of their children.
Image Source: nhs