Saber Gholizadeh - Associate Professor, Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
Mohammad Taheri - MSPH, Medical Entomology Department, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
Ahmad Ali Hanafi-Bojd - Associated Professor, Medical Entomology Department, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Hamidreza Khalkhali - Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
Navid Dinparast Djadid - Professor, Malaria and Vector Research Group, National Insectarium, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Fereshteh Ghahvechi Khaligh - MSPH, Medical Entomology Department, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran

Background: Head lice infestation is the most important ectoparasitic infection in the world and Iran, especially in school children. In recent years, there have been many cases of contamination in different provinces of the country.Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of head lice infestation and analysis of kdr gene sequences for resistance mutations in cities covered by Torbat-Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences.Materials and Methods: the data related to epidemiologic and demographic information was extracted from medical record forms and analyzed in Excel software. Extraction was performed using the YTA kit and, and kdr fragment was amplified using specific primers. The sequences were analyzed using bioinformatics software.Results: The prevalence of head louse infestation was 1.59 and 1.7 percent during 2016-2017, respectively. Sequences analysis revealed that two kdr haplotypes, I and V are distributed in the study area.Conclusion: Increasing head louse infestation in recent years and simultaneously, the presence of kdr mutations, indicates the needs for new treatments and monitoring/management of head louse insecticide resistance.

Pedicolusis status, kdr, Khorasan-Razavi.