Abstract
An anti-louse shampoo (Licener®) based on a neem seed extract was tested in vivo and in vitro on its efficacy to eliminate head louse infestation by a single treatment. The hair of 12 children being selected from a larger group due to their intense infestation with head lice were incubated for 10 min with the neem seed extract-containing shampoo. It was found that after this short exposition period, none of the lice had survived, when being observed for 22 h. In all cases, more than 50–70 dead lice had been combed down from each head after the shampoo had been washed out with normal tap water. A second group of eight children had been treated for 20 min with identical results. Intense combing of the volunteers 7 days after the treatment did not result in the finding of any motile louse neither in the 10-min treated group nor in the group the hair of which had been treated for 20 min. Other living head lice were in vitro incubated within the undiluted product (being placed inside little baskets the floor of which consisted of a fine net of gauze). It was seen that a total submersion for only 3 min prior to washing 3× for 2 min with tap water was sufficient to kill all motile stages (larvae and adults). The incubation of nits at 30°C into the undiluted product for 3, 10, and 20 min did not show differences. In all cases, there was no eyespot development or hatching larvae within 7–10 days of observation. This and the fact that the hair of treated children (even in the short-time treated group of only 10 min) did not reveal freshly hatched larval stages of lice indicate that there is an ovicidal activity of the product, too.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdel-Ghaffar F, Semmler M (2007) Efficacy of neem seed extract shampoo on head lice of naturally infected humans in Egypt. Parasitol Res 100:329–332
Abdel-Ghaffar F, Semmler M, Al-Rasheid K, Klimpel S, Mehlhorn H (2010a) Comparative in-vitro test on the efficacy and safety of 13 anti-head-lice products. Parasitol Res 106:423–249
Abdel-Ghaffar F, Semmler M, Al-Rasheid K, Klimpel S, Mehlhorn H (2010b) Efficacy of a grapefruit extract on head lice. Parasitol Res 106:445–449
Bauer E, Jahnke C, Feldmeier H (2009) Seasonal fluctuations of head lice infestation in Germany. Parasitol Res 104:1295–1298
Burgess IF (2004) Human lice and their control. Annu Rev Entomol 49:475–481
Burkhart CN, Burkhart CG (2001) Recommendation to standardize pediculicidal and ovicidal testing for head lice (Anoplura, Pediculidae). J Med Entomol 38:127–129
Clark JM (2009) Determination, mechanism and monitoring of knockdown resistance in permethrin-resistant human head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis). J Asia Pac Entomol 12:1–7
Downs AMR, Stafford KA, Hunt LP, Ravenscroft JC, Coles GC (2002) Widespread insecticide resistance in head lice to the over-the counter pediculocides in England, and the emergence of carbaryl resistance. Br J Dermatol 146:88–93
Durand R, Millard B, Bouge-Michel C, Bruel C, Bouvresse S, Izri A (2007) Detection of pyrethroid resistance gene in head lice in school children from Bobigny, France. J Med Entomol 44:796–798
Falagas M, Matthaiou D, Rafailidis P, Panos G, Pappas G (2008) Worldwide prevalence of head lice. Emerg Infect Dis 14:1493–1494
Gao JR, Yoon KS, Frisbie RK, Coles GC, Clark JM (2006) Esterase-mediated malathion resistance in the human head louse, Pediculus capitis (Anoplura: Pediculidae). Pestic Biochem Physiol 85:28–37
Gur I, Schneeweiss R (2009) Head lice treatments and school policies in the US in an era of emerging resistance. A cost effectiveness analysis. Pharmacoeconomics 27:725–734
Heukelbach J, Oliveira FA, Speare R (2006) A new shampoo based on neem (Azadirachta indica) is highly effective against head lice in-vitro. Parasitol Res 99:353–356
Kristensen M, Knorr M, Rasmussen AM, Jespersen JB (2006) Survey of permethrin and malathion resistance in human head lice populations from Denmark. J Med Entomol 43:533–538
Lebwohl M, Clark L, Levitt J (2007) Therapy for head lice based on life cycle, resistance and safety consideration. Pediatrics 119:965–974
Mehlhorn H (ed.) (2008) Encyclopedia of Parasitology. 3rd ed. 2 volumes. Springer, New York
Mehlhorn H (2011) Head lice and their control. A long lasting story. In: Preedy VR (ed) Handbook of hair in health and disease. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen
Mehlhorn B, Mehlhorn H (2010) Louse alarm. Düsseldorf University Press, Düsseldorf
Mehlhorn H, Abdel-Ghaffar F, Al-Rasheid KAS, Schmidt J, Semmler M (2011) Ovicidal effects of a neem seed extract preparation on eggs of body and head lice. Parasitol Res. doi:10.1007/s00436-011-2374-8
Meinking TL, Serrano L, Hard B et al (2002) Comparative in vitro pediculicidal efficacy of treatments in a resistant head lice population in the United States. Arch Dermatol 138:220–224
Mougabure-Cueto G, Picollo MI (2010) Response of Pediculus humanus humanus to water or 70% ethanol immersion and determination of optimal times for measuring toxic effects. Parasitol Res 106:1503–1506
Mougabure-Cueto G, Zerba E, Picollo MI (2008) Evidence of pyrethroid resistance in eggs of Pediculus humanus capitis (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) from Argentina. J Med Entomol 45:693–697
Mumcuoglu KY, Gilead L, Ingber A (2009) New insights in pediculosis and scabies. Exp Rev Dermatol 4:285–302
Schmahl G, Al-Rasheid KAS, Abdel-Ghaffar F, Klimpel S, Mehlhorn H (2010) The efficacy of neem seed extracts (Tresan®, MiteStop®) on a broad spectrum of pests and parasites. Parasitol Res 107:261–269
Semmler M, Abdel-Ghaffar F, Al-Rasheid K, Klimpel S, Mehlhorn H (2010) Repellency against head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis). Parasitol Res 106:729–731
Toloza AC, Vassena C, Gallardo A, Gonzalez-Audino P, Picollo MI (2009) Epidemiology of pediculosis capitis in elementary schools of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Parasitol Res 104:1295–1298
Yoon KS, Gao J, Lee SH, Coles GC, Meinking T, Taplin D, Edman J, Tacano-Lee M, Clark JM (2004) Resistance and cross resistance to insecticides in human head lice from Florida and California. Pestic Biochem Physiol 80:192–201
Acknowledgments
Hereby we gratefully acknowledge the support of the Center of Excellence of the College of Science of the King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abdel-Ghaffar, F., Al-Quraishy, S., Al-Rasheid, K.A.S. et al. Efficacy of a single treatment of head lice with a neem seed extract: an in vivo and in vitro study on nits and motile stages. Parasitol Res 110, 277–280 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2484-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2484-3