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To the Editor.—
A resurgence of infestations caused by Phthirus pubis has recently been noted by Ackerman (N Engl J Med 278:950, 1968). This organism is a small crab-shaped insect with anatomical features which easily distinguish it from the more elongated shape of the body louse or head louse.The pubic louse classically produces its infestation on the coarse hairs of the pubic and anal regions. In hairy individuals, however, the lice may migrate to the short hairs of the abdomen, chest, axillae, beard, eyebrows or even the eyelashes.Scalp infestation by Phthirus pubis must be exceedingly rare. Sutton makes mention of a case in a child in Diseases of the Skin, ed 11 (St. Louis, C. V. Mosby Co., 1956, p 623). Although other authors discuss the possibility of scalp involvement, we could find no other case reports.We have recently seen two female patients with P pubis