PREHISTORICAL Pediculus humanus capitis INFESTATION: QUANTITATIVE DATA AND LOW VACUUM SCANNING MICROSCOPY

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo

Juliana M.f. Dutra¹  Arthur Daniel Alves¹  Thaila Pessanha¹  Rachel Rachid¹  Wanderley De Souza¹  Pedro Marcos Linardi¹  Luiz Fernando Ferreira¹  Sheila Mendonça De Souza¹  Adauto Araujo¹ 

关键词: Pediculus humanus;    Head lice;    Paleoparasitology;    Human hair;    Parasitism;    Evolution;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0036-46652014000200005

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

A pre-Columbian Peruvian scalp was examined decades ago by a researcher from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Professor Olympio da Fonseca Filho described nits and adult lice attached to hair shafts and commented about the origin of head lice infestations on mankind. This same scalp was sent to our laboratory and is the subject of the present paper. Analysis showed a massive infestation with nine eggs/cm2 and an impressive number of very well preserved adult lice. The infestation age was roughly estimated as nine months before death based on the distance of nits from the hair root and the medium rate of hair growth. A small traditional textile was associated with the scalp, possibly part of the funerary belongings. Other morphological aspects visualized by low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy are also presented here for adults and nits.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC   
 All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License