Treatment of Phthiriasis Palpebrarum and Crab Louse: Petrolatum Jelly and 1% Permethrin Shampoo

Abstract

Phthiriasis palpebrarum is an uncommon cause of blepharoconjunctivitis in which Pthirus pubis infest the eyelashes. We report a case of unilateral phthiriasis palpebrarum with crab louse. A 45-year-old man presented with conjunctival hyperaemia and moderate itching associated with irritation, and crusty excretions of the eyelashes in the left eye. Careful slit-lamp examination revealed many lice and nits in left eye and mild conjunctival hyperaemia. No abnormality was found in the right eye. On dermatologic examination, only one louse was found at the pubic area. The patient was treated effectively with petrolatum jelly (Vaseline) and 1% permethrin shampoo (Kwellada 1% shampoo). At the end of the first week no louse or nit was present on eyelashes and pubic area.

Incidence of Phthiriasis palpebrarum caused by pubic lice Pthirus pubisin Al-Sulaimaniyah province, Kurdistan region, Iraq

“…In the current study the parasites were observed in both children and adults, it is believed that people in Kurdistan particularly the rural areas havecrowded families live together and in more cases share the same beds with their parents. Cases of Phthiriasis palpebrarum have been reported in countries that have borders with Kurdistan such as Iran and Turkey (Dehghani et al, 2013;Karabela, et al, 2015;Sundu et al, 2015). However, in the records we could not find any studied cases in Kurdistan or Iraq.…”

“…Low hygiene, education level and socioeconomicstatus have also been linked to the availability of lice (Mahmood, 2010). Successful treatments of phthiriasis palpebrarum have been achieved using different mechanisms and medications including petroleum Jelly, permethrin, yellow mercuricoxide, vaseline, and recently argon laser (Couch etal., 1982;Jiang et al,2011;Panos et al, 2013;Karabela, et al, 2015;Sundu et al, 2015). In the current study, a special fine forceps was used followed by erythromycin eye ointment and it was successful in eradication of the parasites from the eyes.…”

“…The most obvious symptoms of phthiriasis palpebrarumare itchiness of the eyelid margin, eye redness, Tearing, Feeling ill or tired, low-grade fever, small red spots at the bite sites and in some cases conjunctivitis (Wu et al, 2016).The parasites are removed from the eyelashes mechanically using forceps. However, in some heavily infested patients, it could be painful, so local treatment with creams or ointment are required (Burkhart et al, 2000;Karabela et al, 2015).Pediculus lice particularly head lice and body lice are well studied in Iraq and neighboring countries (Mahmood, 2010;Dehghani et al, 2013;Abdulla, 2015;Al-Marjan et al, 2015;Gharsan et el., 2016;Khidhir et al, 2017).However, no studies have been carried outbefore onan infestation of human eyes by Pthirus pubis(Phthiriasis palpebrarum) in Iraq particularly in Kurdistan region. This study aims to diagnose and treatphthiriasis palpebrarum among people attendingDoctor Shahid Aso hospital in Al-Sulaimaniyah province.…”

<b><i>Phthirus pubis</i></b> Infestation of the Eyelids Presenting as Chronic Blepharoconjunctivitis in a 6-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report

“…Phthiriasis palpebrarum in adults is usually associated with pubic hair infestation [ 6 ]. In children, it is usually isolated as in this case because of the lack of terminal hairs on most of their body regions.…”

Phthiriasis palpebrarum: A case of eyelash infestation with Pthirus pubis

“…Pthirus pubis belongs to the phylum Arthropoda, the class Insecta and the order Phthiraptera. Two other subspecies of lice known to infest humans are Pediculus humanus capitis (head louse) and Pediculus humanus corporis (body louse) (19). Adult pubic lice are typically 1-2 mm in size and wingless with a broad, flat translucent body through which freshly ingested blood may be observed.…”