Word: pediculus
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Visitors to the quiet confines of the Library of Congress reading rooms are often left scratching their heads by some bewildering text. But since last month they have had another reason for creeping feelings of paresthesia in the < cranial zone: head lice. Library staffers noticed traces of Pediculus humanus capitis on a newspaper in a periodical reading room. An entomologist identified the problem and discovered that the little critters had invaded a nearby theater and music room. All the affected areas were vacuumed and heavily doused with insecticides, and newspapers were placed in a refrigerated truck in an attempt...
...louse, known as Pediculus capitis, is the size of a pinhead: it lays its eggs, or nits, on hair follicles and lives by sucking blood from the scalp. With generally improving personal hygiene, pediculosis has been waning for many years, and the fine-tooth combs (used to rake lice out of the hair) once found in most households with children have become a rarity. But outbreaks occur at unpredictable times and places. Anderson's epidemic was unusual because it was citywide, and many teachers became, literally, nitpickers...