Lice transfer assessed using poultry model

A new paper uses a poultry model to assess the risk of re-infestation of lice after pediculicidal treatment.

The paper by Ketzis, et al., published in the May 2014 edition of Parasitology Research, reports on use of a poultry model to establish rates of post-treatment lice re-infestation.

Three groups of poultry were co-housed for 23h: one group had received a lice treatment and were lice free at the start of the study, a second group were lice-free and untreated, a third group were untreated and lice-infected.

Treated chickens did not become re-infested during the study; untreated chickens in the second group were re-infested at low levels after only 3h. The authors recommend the poultry model to further study resistance to re-infestation after application of lice treatments.