How to Fight Super Lice

A 2015 study reported that most head lice found in North America now carry a gene mutation that makes them resistant to standard over-the-counter lice-removal products.

They are called super lice, and evidence suggests they are pretty much everywhere.

Kyong Yoon, Ph.D., a researcher at Southern Illinois University, presented his teamā€™s findings at the 250thĀ National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the worldā€™s largest scientific society. The meeting features more than 9,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

ā€œWe are the first group to collect lice samples from a large number of populations across the U.S.,ā€ Yoon said ā€œWhat we found was that 104 out of the 109 lice populations we tested had high levels of gene mutations, which have been linked to resistance to Pyrethroids.ā€

Pyrethroids are a family of insecticides used widely indoors and outdoors to control mosquitoes and other insects. The Pyrethroid family includes Permethrin, the active ingredient in some of the most common lice treatments sold at drug stores.

ā€œIf you use a chemical over and over, these little creatures will eventually develop resistance,ā€ Yoon said. ā€œSo we have to think before we use a treatment.ā€

Pyrethroids are neurotoxinsā€”they lock onto receptors in insect nervous systems, paralyzing and eventually killing them.

Another study led by John Clark, a professor of environmental toxicology and chemistry at theĀ University of Massachusetts Amherst,Ā published in theĀ Journal of the Entomological Society of America, found that 99.6 percent of head lice tested in 2007-09 were genetically resistant to Pyrethroids.Ā ā€œIn the UK and Europe, they don’t even use Pyrethroids anymore. Virtually everyone but theĀ United States and CanadaĀ has given up using these over-the-counter products,” Clark said.

Dr. Eric Ayers, an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics with the Wayne State University Physicians Group andĀ the Childrenā€™s Hospital of Michigan says that resistance can develop quickly. He found that if the lice medication isnā€™t effective the first time it is applied, ā€œthe lice can not only survive, but grow stronger. They’re then able to tolerate that same medication the next time it is applied. Then, those more-resistant bugs can move from the head of one child to another, spreading super lice.ā€

Some have questioned the use of Pyrethroids in the battle against head lice, even when they were effective. Deborah Altschuler, the president of the National Pediculosis Association, a nonprofit group that advocates on head-lice issues, has long urged parents not to use pesticides on children. She said she has collected more than 1,000 reports dating from the 1980s from worried parents who ask about research that links the products to seizures, behavioral problems and leukemia. She said the fact that parents are led to pesticides as a first line of defense against head lice ā€œputs children and entire families in jeopardy.ā€

For parents worried about the safety and effectiveness of pesticide-based head lice treatment, there is an alternative. Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a medical device that kills head lice and lice eggs, or nits. It uses nothing more than carefully controlled warm air to dehydrate lice and eggs.

Itā€™s called AirAllĆ©. It represents a completely new approach to head-lice removal. The device has been through clinical trials and has been cleared by the FDA as safe and effective for lice removal, killing both live lice and 99.2 percent of eggs in a single treatment.

Because it doesnā€™t rely on pesticides, the AirAllĆ© device is just as effective against so-called super lice as it is against non-resistant head lice. The treatment is pesticide-free and there are no known side effects.

The culmination of the University of Utah researchersā€™ work was published in 2006 in the journalĀ Pediatrics.Ā A follow-up study was published in the Journal of Medical Entomology in 2011.

The AirAllƩ device is available exclusively at Lice Clinics of America treatment centers where trained technicians use the device to remove head lice in a single 60- to 90-minute treatment.

Share this post

INTERESTED IN OPENING YOUR OWN CLINIC?

To find out how to become part of the worldā€™s largest network of professional lice removal clinics,Ā contact us!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Larada Sciences, Inc.
4873 S. State Street
Murray, Utah 84107

Franchise sales:
(855) 997-4499

All other queries:
(801) 533-5423

RECENT POSTS

BLOGS BY MONTH

NEED HEAD LICE TREATMENT OR JUST SOME LICE ADVICE?

Whether you are looking for a lice treatment center or effective D.I.Y. options, we have lice treatment options for everyone ā€“ regardless of budget.

Scroll to Top

Thank you!

Thank you for requesting more information about our franchise opportunity. We will contact you within the next 2 business days to schedule an introduction call to review available locations, territory fee, expectations and an overview of how the business works. We look forward to talking to you soon!

Thank you!

We have received your submission. We appreciate your participation in the survey!

THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING AN APPOINTMENT!

Please SIT TIGHT until we speak with you to CONFIRM YOUR APPOINTMENT. If you donā€™t hear from us within the next 30 minutes (during business hours), please give us a call.

Thank you!

Please check for an email from Schools@LiceClinicsOfAmerica.com to download your support resources. If you do not receive the email immediately, please check your spam folder.

REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT

We canā€™t wait to help you at our professional head lice clinic at [address] in [city], [state]! Please fill out the form below and we will be in touch with you ASAP to confirm your appointment.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT

We can’t wait to help you at our professional head lice clinic at 123 Lice Lane in City, AB!