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Article: Head lice more resistant to insecticide
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- September 11, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2002 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Head lice more resistant to insecticide, scientists say
But discovery could assist researchers in fight vs. parasite
By STEPHEN SMITH Boston Globe
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
The louse is winning.
Long the scourge of scratching schoolchildren, head lice once
yielded to a stiff scrubbing with special insecticidal shampoos. But
today, scientists at the University of Massachusetts and Harvard
report, colonies of lice regularly outwit the strongest treatments,
which contain permethrin, an insecticide derived from chrysanthemums.
Studies have found that anywhere from 50% to 98% of the parasites
survive the biggest-selling shampoos and sprays.
"Lice," said John Clark, a bug specialist at ...