New research suggests head lice are getting even harder to kill.
Researches at Southern Illinois University conducted a study that they say suggests there is a new species of ‘mutant lice’ that are resistant to most over-the-counter treatments.
“What 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,” said Kyong Yoon, Ph.D., who conducted the research.
Pyrethroids are a type of insecticide that are often used in many lice treatments.
Head lice were gathered from 30 states to conduct the study. Lice in 25 of those states, including Virginia, had developed resistance to common treatments like RID Lice Killing Shampoo and Nix Cream Rinse.
“If you use a chemical over and over, these little creatures will eventually develop resistance,” Yoon said. “So we have to think before we use a treatment. The good news is head lice don’t carry disease. They’re more a nuisance than anything else.”
Yoon is presenting his findings this week at the 250th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Click here to check out the study in full. You can also click here to learn more about head lice from the American Academy of Dermatology.
