Cuticular extracts induce aggregation in head lice

GALASSI, FEDERICO GABRIEL; PICOLLO, MARIA INES; GONZÁLEZ?AUDINO, PAOLA

MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2024

0269-283X

The human head lice Pediculus humanus capitis (De Geer) (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) arestrict, obligate human ectoparasites that spends their entire life cycle in the host andcause skin irritation and derived infections. Despite the health-related importance, fewstudies have evaluated the chemical communication among these insects. Here, we evaluatethe response of lice of both sexes to cuticular extracts using two solvents of differentpolarity (hexane and methanol). Cuticular extracts that elicited an attractionresponse towards head lice were analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry(GC–MS) to determine the cuticular lipid profile. Both lice sexes were attracted to thehexane extracts but not the methanol extracts, suggesting the non-polarity of the compoundspresent in the cuticle. Chemical analyses of hexane extracts from males andfemales showed high similarity in major compounds. This study provides the first evidencethat lice respond to cuticle extracts, which may be important to understand aggregationbehaviour.