Super Lice: Pesticide-Resistant Bugs Took Just 3 - 5 Years to Become Immune

Posted by Alex in Animal, Medicine on September 11, 2008 at 3:41 am


Overuse of antibiotics had given rise to scary antibiotic-resistant microbes, and now, the same thing is happening to head lice:

As school begins, health officials and parents across the country are bracing for this year’s bout of what some call "super lice," drug-resistant critters that fend off nearly all pesticides, even as experts say better treatments for the ancient, annoying condition may be waiting in the wings.

Researchers have been warning for years that head lice in the U.S. and around the world are developing immunity to the strong insecticides used in over-the-counter and prescription shampoos. It takes just three to five years for the bugs to adapt to a new product, despite claims to the contrary by the manufacturers, noted Shirley C. Gordon, an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University who studies persistent head lice.

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COMMENT

15 comments to "Super Lice: Pesticide-Resistant Bugs Took Just 3 - 5 Years to Become Immune"

  1. Larfin Jackarse
    September 11th, 2008 at 3:55 am

    I for one welcome our new water bear and head lice overlord’s.

  2. sam
    September 11th, 2008 at 5:32 am

    Humans breed excellence in parasites.

  3. Madi
    September 11th, 2008 at 6:02 am

    Well in case you get hit, best treatment ever has nothing to do with meds: The Salad Head treatment. Coat your hair in vinegar and oil, rinse, then brush through with a nit comb and wash with shampoo–doesn’t matter if it’s for lice or not. The vinegar drowns the adults, and the oil keeps the nits from sticking. Yay for good old-fashioned, pre-meds treatments.

  4. Zalupa
    September 11th, 2008 at 6:32 am

    Try super scabies, theyre already here.

  5. TwoDragons
    September 11th, 2008 at 6:40 am

    We always used kerosene to get rid of the nasty bugs. Mom would lay me on my back in the tub, douse my hair in the nasty stuff, wait a few minutes, shampoo and scrub the heck out of my head, and then comb the critters out with a lice comb. Then I’d spend the rest of the day with a very tender scalp.

    To this day the smell of kerosene makes my head itch…

    I’m going to try the “salad head” treatment if my kids get it, Madi. It sounds a lot friendlier to the scalp that what I used to have to deal with!

    –TwoDragons

  6. Skipweasel
    September 11th, 2008 at 8:00 am

    The only method I’ve found that works well are liquids based on isoproyl myristate. It’s not a toxin, it dissolves the waxes that waterproof the lice and they die of dehydration. Far harder to evolve a resistance to, for a start, and not toxic to humans.

  7. A Noun
    September 11th, 2008 at 9:18 am

    If you slather a kid’s head with mayonnaise and put a shower cap on it for an hour, insecticide-resistant lice suffocate just as easily as the regular lice.

    Plus the kid smells tangy for a couple days after.

  8. PK
    September 11th, 2008 at 9:41 am

    In future everyone will be bald anyway. That’s the ultimate solution to head lice.

  9. Neatoramawontsendmeapassword
    September 11th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    I’ve heard that Vasoline works (by suffocating them). Apparently, though, getting it out is a hassle. I think you have to find a special shampoo that will rinse out pomade.

    We could always just shave all the kids’ heads.

  10. Peeves
    September 11th, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    I wonder why schools just don’t require kids to have shaved heads during school months. Kids are gross.

  11. CheeseDuck
    September 11th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    I have never had lice :P

  12. TwoDragons
    September 12th, 2008 at 7:49 am

    I’m so glad my son loves having a buzz cut like his daddy. Cheap at-home maintenance and lice-prevention all in one!

    –TwoDragons

  13. Skipweasel
    September 12th, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    My 11 year old son has hair nearly to his arse and has only had nits once. They were easy enough to deal with - long hair doesn’t automatically attract the little sods, but it can make it harder to find them.

  14. GatorMom
    September 12th, 2008 at 10:55 pm

    Has anyone tried Cetaphil facial cleanser? This stuff is supposedly the same as the “nuvo lotion” treatments that cost big bucks. Tried it on my daughter last fall and it worked wonders! (apply liberally to the hair, blow dry, then wash out the next morning) Also had good results with “Lice Freee!”, totally herbal based, no pesticides. Believe me, I wished I had known about these products back in the fall of 2006, I could have saved a year of headaches with all the other useless stuff on the market.

  15. Sally
    November 6th, 2008 at 5:05 pm

    You know I found a product called wondercide that works miracles on head lice. REALLY! We had a bad breakout with those nasty creatures in Texas this year, and my little girl came home from school covered in them. Ewwww I was so grossed out!
    I found wondercide after looking for non toxic treatments and I’m not kidding man, this stuff really works. Just two doses of spraying it on her noggin’ and those things were toast. And best thing is that is even works on other bugs too! I can’t wait to try it out on the next roach I see!


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