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Head louse control by suffocation due to blocking their oxygen uptake

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Abstract

The present study shows that head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are killed by suffocation when submersed into the anti-louse shampoo Licener®, which contains a mild shampoo component and an extract of neem seeds after their oil components had been pressed off. It is shown that the inner tracheal system becomes completely filled by the very fluid product. Within 3–10 min, oxygen uptake is prohibited and death of all thus treated lice stages occurred.

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Acknowledgement

The authors extend appreciations to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding the work through the international research group project IRG14-23.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Saleh Al-Quraishy

  2. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Fathy Abdel-Ghaffar

  3. Department of Parasitology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Heinz Mehlhorn

Authors
  1. Saleh Al-Quraishy
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  2. Fathy Abdel-Ghaffar
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  3. Heinz Mehlhorn
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Correspondence to Heinz Mehlhorn.

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Al-Quraishy, S., Abdel-Ghaffar, F. & Mehlhorn, H. Head louse control by suffocation due to blocking their oxygen uptake. Parasitol Res 114, 3105–3110 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4528-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4528-6

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