Where is it on the body?
Microbes and bacteria usually live predominantly in the guts. Some of them can also be found on your skin, in your mouth and in your nose. In fact, millions of these tiny organisms live within us, and we collectively call them human microbiota.
Why is microbiota important?
Alterations in scalp microbiota due to head lice
In September 2019 a research paper published by Brazilian academics in the Journal ‘Infection, Genetics, and Evolution’ studied whether head lice (pediculus humanus capitis) affected the microbiota on a child’s scalp.
The study compared two groups of schoolchildren: group A had head lice, and group B did not. They collected samples by swabbing the scalp and incubated the fungal microbiota to enable them to survive for examination.
The research paper stated there was a marked difference in the bacterial and fungal species found in the two groups. Additionally, the study also found there were particularly high levels of Staphylococcus capitas in the scalps of those children who had head lice.
The study concluded that children with head lice had scalp alterations. This merited future studies to analyse the impact this can have on human health, and especially the developing health of our children.
If your child has headlice, visit one of our Hairforce clinics for a forensic check and clear.