Pediculosis capitis among school-age students worldwide as an emerging public health concern: a systematic review and meta-analysis of past five decades

Hatam-Nahavandi, Kareem; Ahmadpour, Ehsan; Pashazadeh, Fariba; Dezhkam, Asiyeh; Zarean, Mehdi; Rafiei-Sefiddashti, Raheleh; Khorashad, Alireza Salimi; Teshnizi, Saeed Hosseini; Hazratian, Teimour; Otranto, Domenico

doi:10.1007/s00436-020-06847-5

Cited by 43 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…More recently, a study performed in 237 children from an elementary school and a children´s home of the MABA area revealed that the overall prevalence varied from 26 to 69% (Toloza et al 2018). This tendency has also been reported by many authors in different countries (Hatam-Nahavandi et al 2020). According to this multifactorial study, Argentina has the highest prevalence in the Americas with an overall value of 51% (CI95%= 0.35-0.67).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Head lice were also affected by COVID-19: a decrease on Pediculosis infestation during lockdown in Buenos Aires

et al. 2021

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Pediculosis is a worldwide disease affecting school-aged children produced by the presence of the head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer, an obligate ectoparasite on the human scalp feeding exclusively on blood. Transmission occurs primarily through direct physical head-to-head contact. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a variant of the coronavirus. Therefore, on March 18, 2020, the Argentinean government established mandatory isolation for an indefinite period. This obligatory isolation interrupted regular classes avoiding direct contact between children, thus affecting the dispersal route of individuals and the evolution of head louse populations. In this study, we evaluated through an online survey how confinement affected the prevalence of lice during lockdown compared to the situation prior to confinement. The survey allowed to discriminate the different control strategies, the number of treatments, and the amount of insects recorded by parents. Data of 1118 children obtained from 627 surveys were analyzed. As the main result, it was observed that prevalence of lice decreased significantly from before (69.6%) to during (43.9%) COVID-19 lockdown. Moreover, head lice infestation was more effectively controlled in households with up to 2 children in comparison to households with 3 or more children. This is the first study that analyzed the prevalence of head lice during COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this work demonstrated the impact of social distance in the population dynamics of head lice and how it could affect the control strategies in the future.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Head lice were also affected by COVID-19: a decrease on Pediculosis infestation during lockdown in Buenos Aires

et al. 2021

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“… 29 Notably, countries with the highest web-based interest for lice were Near East and Middle East countries, which does not support traditional epidemiologic studies suggesting that the highest prevalence of pediculosis capitis is in Central and South America. 31 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiologic evolution of common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites: A Google Trends analysis

2021

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Background Common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites are not reportable conditions in most countries. Their worldwide epidemiologic evolution and distribution are mostly unknown. Objective To explore the evolution and geographic distribution of common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites through an analysis of Google Trends. Methods Search trends from 2004 through March 2021 for common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites were extracted from Google Trends, quantified, and analyzed. Results Time series decomposition showed that total search term volume for pubic lice decreased worldwide over the study period, while the interest for ticks, pediculosis, insect bites, scabies, lice, and bed bugs increased (in increasing order). The interest for bed bugs was more pronounced in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics countries, interest for lice in Near East and Middle East countries, and interest for pubic lice in South American countries. Internet searches for bed bugs, insect bites, and ticks exhibited the highest seasonal patterns. Limitations Retrospective analysis limits interpretation. Conclusion Surveillance systems based on Google Trends may enhance the timeliness of traditional surveillance systems and suggest that, while most cutaneous infestations increase worldwide, pubic lice may be globally declining.

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“…They also serve as vectors and intermediate hosts of human pathogens, such as fleas, hematophagous flies, mosquitoes, and ticks [ 6 ]. Some arthropods display the potential to cause outbreaks in overcrowded areas, such as scabies and pediculosis outbreaks in military camps and schools, respectively [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

State-of-the-Art Techniques for Diagnosis of Medical Parasites and Arthropods

Ruenchit

2021

Diagnostics

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Conventional methods such as microscopy have been used to diagnose parasitic diseases and medical conditions related to arthropods for many years. Some techniques are considered gold standard methods. However, their limited sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, and the need for costly reagents and high-skilled technicians are critical problems. New tools are therefore continually being developed to reduce pitfalls. Recently, three state-of-the-art techniques have emerged: DNA barcoding, geometric morphometrics, and artificial intelligence. Here, data related to the three approaches are reviewed. DNA barcoding involves an analysis of a barcode sequence. It was used to diagnose medical parasites and arthropods with 95.0% accuracy. However, this technique still requires costly reagents and equipment. Geometric morphometric analysis is the statistical analysis of the patterns of shape change of an anatomical structure. Its accuracy is approximately 94.0–100.0%, and unlike DNA barcoding, costly reagents and equipment are not required. Artificial intelligence technology involves the analysis of pictures using well-trained algorithms. It showed 98.8–99.0% precision. All three approaches use computer programs instead of human interpretation. They also have the potential to be high-throughput technologies since many samples can be analyzed at once. However, the limitation of using these techniques in real settings is species coverage.

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Pediculosis capitis among school-age students worldwide as an emerging public health concern: a systematic review and meta-analysis of past five decades

Cited by 43 publications

References 114 publications

Head lice were also affected by COVID-19: a decrease on Pediculosis infestation during lockdown in Buenos Aires

Head lice were also affected by COVID-19: a decrease on Pediculosis infestation during lockdown in Buenos Aires

Epidemiologic evolution of common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites: A Google Trends analysis

State-of-the-Art Techniques for Diagnosis of Medical Parasites and Arthropods

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