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Pubic Lice (Pthirus pubis): History, Biology and Treatment vs. Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students

Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis) maintain a worldwide parasitic population infesting two to over 10 percent of human populations, continuing a presence that has been constant since early evidence 10,000 years ago. Outbreaks in the 1970s have been recorded, but incomplete records preclude description of a...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Anderson, Alice L., Chaney, Elizabeth
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) 2009
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672365/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19440402
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph6020592
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author Anderson, Alice L.
Chaney, Elizabeth
author_facet Anderson, Alice L.
Chaney, Elizabeth
author_sort Anderson, Alice L.
collection PubMed
description Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis) maintain a worldwide parasitic population infesting two to over 10 percent of human populations, continuing a presence that has been constant since early evidence 10,000 years ago. Outbreaks in the 1970s have been recorded, but incomplete records preclude description of a definitive population cycle. Current levels of infestation in a US college student population were investigated in this study. Knowledge and opinions of students were also recorded in an online survey administered to college students taking a basic health course at a mid-sized East Coast University. In a group of 817 students, 35 reported experience with pubic lice or other STD infection. Knowledge, beliefs, and treatment attitudes were examined for the 782 students who did not have experience with either pubic lice or STD infection. These students deemed antibiotics as a viable treatment for pubic lice infestation. They also indicated negative attitudes toward the use of pesticide crèmes, which are the most useful prescription. Symptoms and transmission myths in student answers are described.
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spelling pubmed-26723652009-05-13 Pubic Lice (Pthirus pubis): History, Biology and Treatment vs. Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students Anderson, Alice L. Chaney, Elizabeth Int J Environ Res Public Health Article Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis) maintain a worldwide parasitic population infesting two to over 10 percent of human populations, continuing a presence that has been constant since early evidence 10,000 years ago. Outbreaks in the 1970s have been recorded, but incomplete records preclude description of a definitive population cycle. Current levels of infestation in a US college student population were investigated in this study. Knowledge and opinions of students were also recorded in an online survey administered to college students taking a basic health course at a mid-sized East Coast University. In a group of 817 students, 35 reported experience with pubic lice or other STD infection. Knowledge, beliefs, and treatment attitudes were examined for the 782 students who did not have experience with either pubic lice or STD infection. These students deemed antibiotics as a viable treatment for pubic lice infestation. They also indicated negative attitudes toward the use of pesticide crèmes, which are the most useful prescription. Symptoms and transmission myths in student answers are described. Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) 2009-02 2009-02-06 /pmc/articles/PMC2672365/ /pubmed/19440402 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph6020592 Text en © 2009 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.
spellingShingle Article
Anderson, Alice L.
Chaney, Elizabeth
Pubic Lice (Pthirus pubis): History, Biology and Treatment vs. Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students
title Pubic Lice (Pthirus pubis): History, Biology and Treatment vs. Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students
title_full Pubic Lice (Pthirus pubis): History, Biology and Treatment vs. Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students
title_fullStr Pubic Lice (Pthirus pubis): History, Biology and Treatment vs. Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students
title_full_unstemmed Pubic Lice (Pthirus pubis): History, Biology and Treatment vs. Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students
title_short Pubic Lice (Pthirus pubis): History, Biology and Treatment vs. Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students
title_sort pubic lice (pthirus pubis): history, biology and treatment vs. knowledge and beliefs of us college students
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672365/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19440402
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph6020592
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