Elimite
In vitro control of Phthirus pubis with four pediculocides: Eurax, Elimite, Licid and Benzanil.

Ragheb DA, Morsy TA, Abdalla HM, Abou Gamra MM.

Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt.

Phthirus pubis, Linnaeus 1758 that causes phthiriasis is a common infestation disease. However, it is commonly be acquired in jails, brothels, and other similar places. The efficacy of four insecticides commercially known as Eurax, Elimite, Licid, and Benzanil was evaluated for controlling pubic lice in vitro. The four test insecticides proved to be very effective. However, they differed in time needed for causing 100 percent mortality and they could be arranged descendingly as follows: Licid, Eurax, Elimite, and Benzanil.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8586862&dopt=Abstract permethrin Elimite



Elimite
Neurotoxicity resulting from coexposure to pyridostigmine bromide, deet, and permethrin: implications of Gulf War chemical exposures.

Abou-Donia MB, Wilmarth KR, Jensen KF, Oehme FW, Kurt TL.

Department of Pharmacology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. donia acpub.duke.edu

Of the three-quarters of a million service personnel involved in the Persian Gulf War, approximately 30,000 have complained of neurological symptoms of unknown etiology. One contributing factor to the emergence of such symptoms may be the simultaneous exposure to multiple agents used to protect the health of service personnel, in particular, the anti-nerve agent pyridostigmine bromide (PB; 3-dimethylaminocarbonyloxy-N-methylpyridinium bromide), the insect repellent DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide), and the insecticide permethrin (3-(2,2-dichloro-ethenyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid (3-phenoxyphenyl)methyl ester). This study investigated neurotoxicity produced in hens by individual or simultaneous exposure to these agents (5 d/wk for 2 months to 5 mg/kg/d PB in water, po; 500 mg/kg/d DEET, neat, sc; and 500 mg/kg/d permethrin in corn oil, sc). At these dosages, exposure to single compounds resulted in minimal toxicity. Combinations of two agents produced greater neurotoxicity than that caused by individual agents. Neurotoxicity was further enhanced following concurrent administration of all three agents. We hypothesize that competition for liver and plasma esterases by these compounds leads to their decreased breakdown and increased transport of the parent compound to nervous tissues. Thus, carbamylation of peripheral esterases by PB reduces the hydrolysis of DEET and permethrin and increases their availability to the nervous system. In effect, PB "pumps" more DEET and permethrin into the central nervous system. Consistent with this hypothesis, hens exposed to the combination of the three agents exhibited neuropathological lesions with several characteristics similar to those previously reported in studies of near-lethal doses of DEET and permethrin. If this hypothesis is correct, then blood and liver esterases play an important "buffering" role in protecting against neurotoxicity in the population at large. It also suggests that individuals with low plasma esterase activity may be predisposed to neurologic deficits produced by exposure to certain chemical mixtures.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8637057&dopt=Abstract permethrin Elimite



Elimite
Evaluation of permethrin-impregnated cotton balls as potential nesting material to control ectoparasites of woodrats in California.

Leprince DJ, Lane RS.

Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley 94720-3112, USA.

The dusky-footed woodrat, Neotoma fuscipes Baird is a natural reservoir of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner, in California. To investigate the potential of host-targeted insecticide to control the tick vectors of B. burgdorferi, permethrin-impregnated or untreated cotton balls were distributed in metal cylinders as potential nesting material adjacent to 95 woodrat houses in chaparral-covered rangeland. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that adult woodrats would enter the cylinders and construct nests from permethrin-treated or untreated cotton. The residual concentration of permethrin did not vary significantly during an 11-mo period and remained > 60% of the registered insecticidal formulation (7.5% [AI] by cotton weight). The abundance of 4 species of ticks (Ixodes neotomae Cooley; the western blacklegged tick I. pacificus Cooley & Kohls; I. woodi Bishopp; and the Pacific Coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis Marx) infesting woodrats was similar in the treatment and control areas. Although > 90% of the cotton disappeared from the metal cylinders in both areas, examination of 8 active woodrat houses revealed that small amounts of cotton had been incorporated into the nest cups of only 25%. In contrast, the abundance of the flea Orchopeas sexdentatus (Baker) decreased significantly in the treatment area only. Spirochetes were not detected in 168 adult O. sexdentatus fleas that had fed on spirochetemic woodrats, which demonstrates that this flea is an inefficient host of B. burgdorferi. We conclude that the use of permethrin-impregnated cotton as potential nesting material is ineffective for controlling ticks associated with the dusky-footed woodrat in brushlands, but this methodology may be useful for reducing populations of sylvatic fleas.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8667381&dopt=Abstract permethrin Elimite



Elimite
Topical permethrin exposure inhibits antibody production and macrophage function in C57Bl/6N mice.

Punareewattana K, Smith BJ, Blaylock BL, Longstreth J, Snodgrass HL, Gogal RM Jr, Prater RM, Holladay SD.

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0442, USA.

Permethrin was applied to the shaved dorsal interscapular region of C57Bl/6N mice at doses of 0.5, 1.5 or 5.0 microl/day. These doses corresponded to approximately 22-220 mg/kg/day topical insecticide. Mice were exposed to permethrin in this manner daily for 10 or 30 consecutive days, or every other day for 7 or 14 exposures. The splenic macrophage chemiluminescent response was depressed in a dose-dependent manner at 2 and 10 days post-exposure to permethrin. Phagocytic ability of macrophages was not inhibited. Antibody production as shown by plaque-forming cell (PFC) assay decreased significantly after 10 consecutive days of exposure to permethrin. These data indicate that topical permethrin exposure may produce systemic immune effects.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11267706&dopt=Abstract permethrin Elimite



Elimite
Comparative percutaneous absorption of lindane and permethrin.

Franz TJ, Lehman PA, Franz SF, Guin JD.

Department of Dermatology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, USA.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: Because of the concern for potential neurotoxic effects (central nervous system excitation, convulsions) in the treatment of scabies using 1% lindane lotion, 5% permethrin cream has been suggested as an alternative scabicide. Using the finite dose technique, in vitro percutaneous absorption of 5% permethrin cream or 1% lindane lotion was measured in human and guinea pig skin following a single application. In vivo blood and brain levels of the scabicides were measured in guinea pigs following three daily applications of 5% permethrin cream or 1% lindane lotion. Permethrin and lindane levels were quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. RESULTS: In vitro percutaneous absorption of the two scabicides was identical in guinea pig skin; however, human skin was 20-fold more permeable to lindane than to permethrin. In vivo guinea pig blood and brain levels of lindane were fourfold greater than permethrin levels. CONCLUSION: The risk for toxic effects, as assessed by systemic exposure during overuse conditions, is projected to be 40 to 400 times lower for 5% permethrin cream than for 1% lindane lotion.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8712839&dopt=Abstract permethrin Elimite