부산대학교 도서관

The pubic or crab louse, Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus), is a human ectoparasite known to feed on human blood. It most commonly infests pubic hair, causing pthiriasis pubis, and occasionally infests eyelashes, causing pthiriasis palpebrarum. The primary transmission route of pubic louse is through sexual or intimate contact. Pthiriasis often manifests clinically with symptoms such as pruritus, allergic reactions, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. We present a case of Pt. pubis hyperinfestation and compare molecular identification using Pt. pubis specimens collected from the pubic regions of nine patients. A 70-year-old man presented to the clinic, complaining of severe pruritus in the pubic region, following a full-body massage. More than a thousand Pt. pubis lice were found in his pubic and anal regions. In addition, we analyzed 27 lice from nine cases using a molecular method that targets the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene (423 bp). The sequencing results suggested a lack of diversity, and the sequences, when compared with references in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database, were identical to sequences found in the suburbs of Paris, France, and Florida, United States. Furthermore, PCR analysis was conducted to determine whether the pubic lice carried pathogenic Rickettsia or Acinetobacter spp., and negative results were found. In Taiwan, pthiriasis has been documented in sporadic reports. A total of 11 cases were reported in eight articles in Taipei, Taichung, and Chiayi, spanning from 1942 to 2012. Of these, one case involved infestation in the pubic region, three cases received a diagnosis of pthiriasis palpebrarum, one case received a diagnosis of pthiriasis capitis, one case received a diagnosis of both pthiriasis palpebrarum and pthiriasis capitis, and five cases involved infestation both on the eyelashes and in the pubic region. This study indicates that pthiriasis has not been eliminated in Taiwan but has rather been neglected. Future clinical studies in other regions of Taiwan are necessary for foundational medical entomological knowledge to be established and for effective public health education to be conducted.