en انگل شناسی Parasitology تحقيقي Original Paper <div><strong>Background and objectives:</strong> Head louse, also known as Pediculus humanus capitis, is an obligate ectoparasite that is a distributed all around the world. The aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of head lice infestation in primary school students in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. <span dir="RTL"></span><br> <strong>Methods:</strong> Overall, 3,032 students (1,515 boys and 1,517 girls) from 33 primary schools in Tabriz were selected via multi-stage cluster sampling in 2018. The students were examined individually and privately by experts. Head lice infestation was confirmed by detecting adult or nymph or nits less than 1 cm from base of hair. Data analysis was carried out in SPSS software package (version 23). Association of participants&rsquo; characteristics with pediculosis infestation was evaluated using logistic regression and chi-square test at significance level of 0.05.&nbsp; <span dir="RTL"></span><br> <strong>Results:</strong> Head lice infestation was present in 130 (4.29%) students, while the prevalence of this condition was higher in girls (2.11%) than in boys. The highest prevalence (6.05 %) was observed in children age 6 years old regardless of gender. The rate of head lice infestation was lowest among students aged &ge;12 years (3.17%). There was a significant relationship between head louse infestation and parent&rsquo;s occupation, family size, the frequency of combing and hair style.<br> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Although the prevalence of head lice infestation in Tabriz is relatively low, screening and treating schoolchildren should be done continuously in order to reduce the infestation rate.</div> Pediculus humanus, Prevalence, Primary school student, Tabriz, Iran 13 18 http://mlj.goums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-786-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Roghayeh Norouzi roghayehnorouzi123@gmail.com 100319475328460018772 100319475328460018772 Yes Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran Sajjad Jafari Sajjad Jafari118@gmail.com 100319475328460018773 100319475328460018773 No Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran Haniyeh Meshkati hanemeshkati@yahoo.com 100319475328460018774 100319475328460018774 No Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran Fahimeh Bagheri Amiri bagheridrop@gmail.com 100319475328460018775 100319475328460018775 No Urology and Nephrology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Abolghasem Siyadatpanah asiyadatpanah@yahoo.com 100319475328460018776 100319475328460018776 No Ferdows School of Paramedical and Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran