Cuticular extracts induce aggregation in head lice.
Med Vet Entomol
; 38(2): 227-233, 2024 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38429866
ABSTRACT
The human head lice Pediculus humanus capitis (De Geer) (Phthiraptera Pediculidae) are strict, obligate human ectoparasites that spends their entire life cycle in the host and cause skin irritation and derived infections. Despite the health-related importance, few studies have evaluated the chemical communication among these insects. Here, we evaluate the response of lice of both sexes to cuticular extracts using two solvents of different polarity (hexane and methanol). Cuticular extracts that elicited an attraction response towards head lice were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the cuticular lipid profile. Both lice sexes were attracted to the hexane extracts but not the methanol extracts, suggesting the non-polarity of the compounds present in the cuticle. Chemical analyses of hexane extracts from males and females showed high similarity in major compounds. This study provides the first evidence that lice respond to cuticle extracts, which may be important to understand aggregation behaviour.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Pediculus
/
Hexanos
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article