British head lice set new records

British head lice set new records

ParasitologyToday, vol. 4, no. 5, 1988 122 International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature O p i n i o n s in P a r a s i t o l o g y O p i n i...

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ParasitologyToday, vol. 4, no. 5, 1988

122

International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature O p i n i o n s in P a r a s i t o l o g y O p i n i o n 1447 Trichomonas Donn6, 1836 (Protista, Mastigophora): spelling confirmed. A p p l i c a t i o n s in P a r a s i t o l o g y

Dioctophyme C o l l e t - M e y g r e t , 1802 (Nematoda): proposed confirmation of spelling (CIOMS Case No. 7). Dioctophyme is a genus of nematodes that includes Dioctophyme renale - the largest nematode known. It parasitizes wild carnivores such as the dog, fox, otter and mink. D. renale is an important parasite of mink. which are the principal definitive hosts. The larvae develop in the body cavity and penetrate the kJdney, the tissue of which is destroyed. The ureter may become blocked causing uraemia. The parasite occasionally infects man, causing renal colic, pyuria and haematuria. I

The purpose of this application is to confirm, at the request of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS), the spelling of a parasitic nematode worm name in the form Dioctophyme. This is preferred to the alternative spelling Dioctophyma as it maintains the integrity of the original orthography. There has been no clear-cut preference for either name over the past 50 years. M. E. Tollitt. Formerly of The Secretariat, International Commissionon Zoological Nomenclature

Disculiceps Joyeux & B a e r , 1935 (Cestoidea): proposed conservation. This is a genus of cestodes that infects elasmobranch fish. It has not been widely investigated and is of interest from a taxonomic rather than a medical point of view. The purpose of this application is the conservation of the tapeworm generic name Disculiceps Joyeux &Baer, 1935 by the suppression of the disused Discocephalum Linton, 1891, thereby eliminating the homonymy between the family group names Discocephalidae Pintner, 1928 (Cestoidea, Lecanicephalidea) and Discocephalinae Fieber, 1861 (Insecta, Hemiptera). J. N. Cairo. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, U-43, Room

312, 75 N. Eagleville Road, University of Connecticut, Storrs,

Connecticut 06268, USA Official Lists and Indexes of N a m e s and W o r k s in Zoology A revised and updated edition of the O~cial Lists and Indexes of Names and Works in Zoology has been published. For the first time all the names and works on which the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has ruled since it was set up in 1895 are brought together in a single volume. Entries are arranged in four sections giving in alphabetical order the family-group names, generic names, specific names and titles of works which have been placed on the Official Lists or the Official Indexes. There are about 9900 entries of which 134 are for works. In addition, there is a full systematic index and a reference list to all relevant Opinions and Directions. The volume is 366 pages, size A4, casebound. I Copiescanbe orderedfrom: The InternationalTrust for Zoological Nomenclature,c/o British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road,LondonSW7 5BD, U.K. Price£60 or $110 or

The American Associationfor Zoological Nomenclature,c/o NHB Stop 163,NationalMuseumof Natural History,WashingtonD.C. 20560.U.S.A. Price$ I I0 ($ 100to membersof AAZN)

British Head Lice Set N e w Records Head louse infection rates have fallen to the lowest levels on record for the third year running. Latest figures for English state schools show rates of below 100 000 annual cases for the first time. Scotland and the Isle of Man share in the successstory. Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) official figures show that head louse incidence fell by exactly half between 1981 and 1986, from 189 200 to just 94 600 cases annually. Analysis of the returns shows the drop to be real and not a statistical effect due to fewer school head inspections. Scotland has a similar reduction and the Isle of Man has eliminated the parasite altogether, save for sporadic importations. These dramatic reductions in head louse infestations potentially represent huge savings for the DHSS. They represent over 12 million fewer examinations and treatments in the UK, equivalent to an annual saving of around £15 million by the time nurse's costs and direct treatment costs are taken into account. Active continuation of the campaign to achieve further reductions in head louse infestation could result in proportionately much greater savings. Dr John Maunder, Director of the Medical Entomology Centre at the University of Cambridge, said "We now know that head lice are not exclusively a school-children's disease and that infection levels are maintained by numerous cases among adults. Head lice do not spread into the community from schools but into schools from the community." The improvement was linked with courses run by the Centre with DHSS approval. Over 500 senior National Health Service staff, including Community Physicians and Nurse Managers, attended the world's most advanced training courses in human louse control. Dr Maunder said, "Britain sent expensively trained nurses round schools for 100 years and still had lice. Surely new methods were overdue. Given enough accurate information, communities rid themselves of lice. Professional help can then be targeted towards those who really need it. Lice thrive on myth and secrecy."

For further information please contact DrJ. W. Maunder, at the Medical Entomology Centre, University of Cambridge, Department of Applied Biology, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3DX, UK (telephone 0223 312052). The next DHSS approved course in Head Lice Eradication is July 28-29 at Wolfson College, Cambridge. For details please contact the course organiser, Miss C. Roberts, at the above address.

• • • • • •

Box I. Head Lice- might as well get it right The correct scientific name for the human head louse is Pediculushumanuscapitis(see Fig. I ). 'Nit' is the name given to the hatched empty egg shells of lice, not to the insects themselves. The correct treatment for head lice is a special lotion, never a shampoo. Lice like clean short hair. Having enough lice for long enough makes people feel unwell (they feel lousy) and affects their work (they become nitwits). Advanced courses on Head Louse Eradication recommence in July.

Fig. I An ad head~ one O~