Title: A resistance of head lice (Pediculus capitis) to permethrin in Czech Republic Rupes V, Moravec J, Chmela J, Ledvinka J, Zelenkova J Ref: Central European Journal of Public Health, 3:30, 1995 : PubMed
An outbreak of pediculosis at primary schools was recorded in the Czech Republic in 1992. Almost 20% of children in some schools were infested. This outbreak can be attributed to the resistance of head lice to permethrin, which has not been mentioned in literature yet. The resistance factors established in three towns range between 2 and 385 and between 5 and 557 for LC50 and LC90 values, respectively. This resistance has developed after exclusive use of pyrethroids lotion and shampoo in the Czech Republic since 1978, and it was accompanied by a cross-resistance to d-phenothrin and bioalethrin. But the susceptibility of head lice to malathion and pirimiphos-methyl in 1992 was very similar to that found in 1981. The lotion containing 0.3% of malathion (Diffusil H92 M) has been fully effective against the resistant lice. When introduced into the practice, it quickly reduced the infestation of children in primary schools. The other lotion and shampoo containing 0.3% and 0.7% of pirimiphos-methyl respectively were found to be effective as well.
Title: Susceptibility to DDT and some other insecticides of head lice (Pediculus capitis De Geer) in Czechoslovakia Rupes V, Ledvinka J, Chmela J, Pinterova J Ref: Folia Parasitol, 31:169, 1984 : PubMed
For testing the susceptibility of the head louse to insecticides impregnated bunches of polyamide fibres, whose diameter resembled that of human hair (0.1 mm) were used. In this manner a low mortality of control lice collected from infected persons was obtained (2.9% after 16 hours of exposure). Even after 25 years of DDT use no apparent resistance could be demonstrated in 25 tested louse populations and cross resistance to permethrin in 7 tested populations. The diagnostic concentration for resistance to pp'-DDT was established at 1%. Of the tested insecticides the highest toxicity was shown by malathion (LC50 = 0.000 018%), pirimiphos-methyl had on average a twice lower toxicity, trichlorphon 104 times lower, tetramethrin 1220 times lower, permethrin 2.5 times lower and pp'-DDT 630 times lower toxicity.
