Studies of Human Body Lice, Pediculus humanus corporis: I. A Method for Feeding Lice through a Membrane and Experimental Infection with Rickettsia prowazeki, R. mooseri, and Borrelia novyi

Abstract

The method consists of attaching a piece of skin from a baby chick (1-7 days) to a small cylinder, putting the end of the cylinder with the membrane in a beaker containing the desired meal and placing the lice on the membrane. Technical details are given. Lice were maintained for 2 weeks by artificial feeding. Artificial infection was accomplished by mixing an egg yolk sac suspension of rickettsia with human defibrinated blood for the feeding fluid. Lice were infected with R. prowazeki and R. mooseri. Infection with B. novyi was obtained from defibrinated human blood containing heparinized blood of a rat inoculated 48 hrs. previously with the strain of Borrelia. The method may be used for such purposes as serial passage of rickettsiae through lice. A disadvantage is the difficulty in obtaining sterile membranes.