Mutant Lice May Have Georgia Parents Scratching Their Heads

By JUSTIN OVE (Patch Staff)

Georgia parents may have a harder time battling head lice this year, as more and more species are developing resistance to the drugs designed to kill them.

According to a study from the American Chemical Society, 95 percent of lice sampled in a recent study had developed three genetic mutations which make them far less susceptible to the effects of pyrethroids, a group of pesticides which includes the over-the-counter drug permethrin.

The study claims that lice in 25 of 30 samples states, including Georgia, have the three mutations necessary for enhanced resistance to pyrethroids. Lice in New York, New Jersey, New Mexico and Oregon had either one, two, or all three of the mutations, while lice in Michigan remained largely vulnerable to over-the-counter drugs.

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WSB-TV spoke with an epidemiologist with the Georgia Department of Public Health who said that parents whose children get head lice should continue to use the current drugs but should be extremely thorough when using them. Students can avoid head lice by wearing their hair up and by not sharing combs or brushes.

The American Chemical Society study says that parents can use other non-pyrethroid treatments to combat head lice, including those which can only be dispensed with a prescription.

Graphic courtesy of Kyong Yoon, Ph.D., and the American Chemical Society. The states in red denote those where mutations were found in the lice population.