Talk:Head louse

message: This article is very well done! 68.3.214.66 (talk) 17:30, 11 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Um, nice

message: "Head lice are normally spread by close contact but can also be spread by sharing clothes."
"Head lice does not survive in bedding and clothing, so it is generally safe to use these items."
Contradiction.  Besides, I know somebody who got lice from a pillow (yes, it was definitely the pillow, not something else).  Unless there are any objections, I think I'll remove the second statement. -Frazzydee|✍ 04:39, 21 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Head lice in bedding & clothing

message: I've deleted some grossly unaccurated claims in the symptoms area like the ones which said that the head louse does not carry pathogenic agents, and replaced it with its potential diseases, although I fear the symptoms section may not be the best part for this information to be...Syber 03:54, 17 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Symptoms 

message: The Treatment section here was a mess. It consisted of an awkward list of different products/techniques, nearly all of it unsourced (a few looking suspiciously like wikispam). The last section (The Ultimate Technique) was badly written, unverifiable and probably original research. Rather than try and totally rewrite the section I've simply moved it to Treatment of human head lice so it can be improved without affecting the quality of this article. I think it's a complex enough topic to warrant a separate article anyway. --Bk0 16:57, 31 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Treatment section moved to new article 

message: I've heard from one side that head lice is the result of poor sanitation, while I've also heard that head lice prefer extremely clean environments. This is fairly disputed, and I'd appreciate it if Wikipedia made the final decision. —MESSEDROCKER (talk) 03:46, 30 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: WP does not make decisions, it cites scientific/reliable sources...but to my best knowledge it seems that the chance of infestation is neither helped nor hindered by the frequency of washing your hair and such. Lice will take any head they can get, they are not actively "jumping" or such anyway. However lice may spread less in a generally health concerned neighbourhood because, well, because people care...so there may be a non-causal correlation ;-)so 1) head lice is the result of poor sanitation: No2)head lice prefer extremely clean environments: No --84.159.169.175 01:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dirty Hair vs. Overclean Hair 

message: I have been told many times that tieing hair back in a ponytail can be a method of prevention for headlice. I was wondering if anyone had any proof of this as I cannot see how it would be easier for a louse to jump onto someone's hair if it was not tied back, as opposed to it being down loose. Thanks.
It's true according to the NHS. No explanation though.
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=186§ionId=3241
Dcminter 20:33, 16 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: lice cant jump.
It can't be.
in colonial times everyone had lice and wore hats to keep lice to themselves.the more lice, the cooler.hats arn't differen't than pony tails are they?--172.146.116.206 01:08, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Is it true? 

message: What exactly does larkspur have to do with head lice? If there is no info link, then out goes the wiki liknk. --SigPig 18:23, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Larkspur link 

message: Since other articles have lists of mentions in pop culture, how about the humorous mention of it in Scrubs, the christmas episode (can't remember which season), where after Dr. Cox switches a tape of a childbirth to one that has hair, and J.D. and Dr. Cox say that they shaved the baby because of the recent outbreak of prenatal lice -- it'd be a good mention :-) 68.84.23.105 19:55, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  In Popular Culture 

message: Under "Treatments that may work but need further research", there seem to be three sections, but it's not clear whether "Conditioner" should be a fourth one or not as it's clearly not related to head shaving.  I'm tempted to create a new section for it, but thought I'd check here first.  Just seemed to be something that might have been put in recently and maybe not completely wikified.  :)  Lihan161051 17:46, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Very slight format nitpicking (no pun intended) 

message: The lousebuster section reads like an advertisement, but I didn't want to tag it due to not knowing whether it's currently commercially produced, in which case it may have been planted, or whether it's not yet out, in which case it's just coincedence (and I may be overly paranoid/sensitive) =p.  Themania 08:48, 27 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Sounds like an advertisement 

message: I've done a reasonably exhaustive Google search and the only material I could find about this gadget appears to be quoted from a press release without any checking.  A search on The Journal of Pediatrics site (http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/ympd) for  "Louse Buster", "LouseBuster", "Lice Buster" or "LiceBuster" returns no results.  A search for head lice only returns information about established treatments and has no mention of the product despite the press material stating that University of Utah tests were published in that journal.  I'm taking it out.  Of course, if the contributor can provide a citation from a reputable journal with details of tests demonstrating its claimed efficacy, I'd be happy to see it back. NBeddoe 21:40, 27 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  It is an advertisement 

message: Quick question.. i've heard this lots of times in the past but not sure that its true but...
Are black peoples headlice different to white peoples?
I heard it explained that its due to the shape of the folicle shaft and the make up of the lice's legs.. but cant find any info on it.. so i'm thinking its not true and one of those urban myths. Just wondering if anyone can clean this up--Nasher 20:45, 11 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Black and white 

message: I'm sick of reverting the an addition from User:Dserhal that just consists of a paragraph about this website, which is totally unreferenced.  Will someone else tell me if this is at all relevant and verifiable, or should I leave it alone? Cornell Rockey 15:19, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  'natural cures' on this and [[:Treatment of human head lice]] 

message: This article directly contradicts one of it's source where it says that you don't need to shave all of the hair... just down to 1 inch or less. The article cited says "Short hair is more readily searched for lice and eggs, but does not make the child invulnerable to infestation." Also, the Treatment of human head lice page specifically says the opposite as well, "A completely shaven head is necessary, a mere buzz cut is not sufficient." I propose this be changed or the entire treatment area be removed. 
Fixedd 04:57, 10 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Shaving Head 

message: According to information on the United States Center for Disease Control's website, "epidemics of typhus and louse-borne relapsing fever have been caused by body lice," not head lice, as shown in the 'Symptoms' section of the current article. 208.59.121.56 17:06, 1 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Symptoms 

message: It would be helpful if there was a picture of a human scalp with lice on it so that people could know what to look for if they think that they have lice. I put a request for it at Wikipedia:Requested_pictures/Science#Insects. Cooljeanius (talk) (contribs) 21:17, 24 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Another picture 

message: I'd suggest that some discussion of the Nuvo method http://nuvoforheadlice.com/ is warranted.  It's results seem to have been published in a peer reviewed journal, it is non-toxic and is currently the recommended procedure at my doctor's office. Jamesvera (talk) 06:37, 20 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Nuvo method

message: I worked on some formatting issues.  The footnotes could be vastly improved by using the proper templates.  I will commit myself to improving this article, as it is probably widely used.  Ursasapien (talk) 11:15, 1 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I reformatted all the footnotes and moved most of the treatment stuff to the treatment article.  I also put a link to that article under the treatment section in this article.  Ursasapien (talk) 08:22, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: This article is somewhat substandard

message: This section seems to be written with a particular sympathy for parents of children with headlice subject to exclusion from school, child care etc and  clearly advocates the abandonment of this policy, adding a nice touch of emotion in claiming "The immediate expulsion of children from a camp, kindergarten or school must cause significant damage to their self-esteem and also upsets and embarrasses their parents." A little more balance is needed. Grimhim (talk) 11:47, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Good catch! This article has languished for a while and there are probably more examples of emotive writing, WP:OR, and WP:SYNTH.  Ursasapien (talk) 12:29, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: BTW, Do not forget to update Treatment of human head lice when updating this article.  Ursasapien (talk) 12:01, 11 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  POV evident in No-nit policy 

message: This section is written authoritatively (and relatively well) but has no sources.  This makes it appear to be original research.  Citations would be greatly appreciated.  Ursasapien (talk) 12:16, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  ''Ancient lice - Use in archaeogenetics'' section 

message: The talk page and the article contradict each other- do they jump or not? The answer being "No", and there being no source to the contrary, I have edited this out. We need something on transfer of the insects. Jess xx (talk) 21:51, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Jumping headlice 

message: "Each egg is oval-shaped and about 0.8 mm in length." I'm not a Wikipedia:Reliable source, but the eggs on my daughter are more like 0.2–0.4 mm. I didn't notice the eggs during the first week, because I was looking for something about 0.8 mm. Art LaPella (talk) 05:13, 27 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  0.8 mm 

message: Is the rumor that headlice prefer certain human blood types (or other genetic human variant) attested to at all? 71.59.220.46 (talk) 08:22, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Meinking and Taplin talk about this in their "Infestations" entry in Pediatric Dematology (1995).  Based on their lack of references, it seems like this work hasn't been published elsewhere.  They suggest that the blood type preference is based on past blood types the lice have previously consumed.  For example, they found that lice reared exclusively on hosts with O positive blood would then avoid feeding on an O negative host.  However, no such preference was seen in newly-hatched lice nymphs.  I'm not sure this is much more than an anecdote, so I'm not sure if it's worth incorporating into the article.  Meinking and Taplin also mention a study by Sholdt Holoway and Fronk (1979) where infestation of Ethiopians correlated with blood type (AB being 7-fold more infested than O).  I don't have that other ref though.  Noca2plus (talk) 22:31, 17 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  prefer human blood types? 

message: "lice have problems attaching to africans because of the kinky hair." [from the Migration section]
This is at best an urban myth, at worst a (poor attempt at a) joke, right? I stuck a "citation needed" tag on it but the sentence should probably be deleted: I just don't know enough about the subject to be sure that it is incorrect!  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gordoni (talk • contribs) 21:12, 9 January 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lice and African hair 

message: It was recently suggested[27] that humans express love by touching their hairy scalps together (a behaviour absent in apes) so as to share their beneficial head lice infestations.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 27.32.194.196 (talk) 06:29, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: The short term positive incentive is that it feels good, like other grooming or a hug. Why don't you read the reference paper, which is online? Head lice probably protect against body lice which carry typhus and so on. Evolutionarily that's worth some itch. Some people don't even have itch. SBHarris 20:39, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
replies: text:  In fact I deleted the entirety of this. There is no known benefit of lice. --209.188.46.174 (talk) 01:51, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Two asian girls and this caption - WHAT? 

message: Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that :File:Male human head louse.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on June 6, 2014. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2014-06-06. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. Thanks! — Crisco 1492 (talk) 06:55, 21 May 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[:File:Male human head louse.jpg]]

message: What does this tidbit on typhus have to do with head lice? It doesn't mention lice at all, and by the article's beginning's words, head lice don't carry typhus anyway.
IAmNitpicking (talk) 14:46, 18 September 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Archeogenenetics 

message: These insects dive into the skin. They swim in Human tissues and reproduce inside the body. They sometimes surface but mainly they remain under the skin forming bumps. They travel throughout the body and do not stay put. When they die inside sometimes a pop can be heard. They are also known as dandruff. Rastah and Africans consider them medicinal and remedy against hearing voices in the head from Humans and also contradictorily as the means to be connected by voices to specific individuals who can be located by killing the parent insect (producing a pop in the infected Human).  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.35.92.11 (talk) 23:04, 20 April 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: Just for the record, the preceding is totally incorrect, unsourced, and mythological. Paleolith (talk) 17:52, 6 May 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  How can Wikipedia lie not saying it is an ENDOPARASITE? 

message: I deleted the sentences
:Head lice are not easily contagious, but it is possible in adults. Exposure or association to a contaminated individual for more than 10 minutes results in an 85% chance in becoming exposed. If you are contaminated with head lice for more than 24 hours without using lice shampoo, it is almost certain you are infested and need to quarantine and remove yourself from your living space.
which were added anonymously last Nov 28. If these belonged anywhere, it would be in the "infestation" article. However, the statements are unsourced, and are instructional in nature, even written in the second person. Thus I have not even investigated adding them to the other article.
Paleolith (talk) 18:12, 6 May 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  instructional sentences removed 

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*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140529171816/http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/phtm/PHTM/hlice/hlinfo1.htm to http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/phtm/PHTM/hlice/hlinfo1.htm
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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: I decided to write this section to help resolve any disputes that might arise from my edits on this topic. Growing up in the English West Midlands in the late 90s and early 2000s head lice were often referred to as "nits" by both pupils and staff at my school although they were called head lice in the letters sent home whenever there was a case in the school. It was only recently that I discovered that in formal language the term nit refers to the eggs apparently regardless of their viability according to both NHS choices and the mainstream media. I do not think the term "nit" to refer to the lice is limited to any particular vernacular within the UK as I have seen it while searching tabloid articles (the broadsheets and broadcast media tend to use the formal terms unless quoting) and I recall the term "nits" replacing head lice in all instances in the 1997 children's book Horrid Henry's Nits by Francesca Simon (although the author is an American expatriate the UK editions of the books in the series contain British slang). The sources I cited also talk of "nits" being itchy although the itches are caused by the bites from the lice which is a clue to the slang definition. Tk420 (talk) 13:15, 23 December 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Colloquialisms in definition of "nit" 

message: Not my area, but while I was researching an edit I later undid (Clade C in Ethiopia) I ran across some recent mentions of a Clade F, which is not mentioned in this article. Apparently it has been found Mexico and South America, and is a sister to Clade B. For example, see 
*https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30769089/ *https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-020-04364-z 
*https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/2/257/htm
Is this well enough covered to mention in this article? Meters (talk) 06:51, 22 January 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: added Meters (talk) 21:21, 26 January 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Missing clade? 

message: — Assignment last updated by Jason.DeLaCruz1313 (talk) 00:31, 10 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title: Wiki Education assignment: The Microbiology of College Life