Bruel

van den Bruel, W.E. in Collart, A. (1944:210) Belgium: "- Mr. W E VAN DEN BRUEL shows specimens of Lepidocyrtinus domesticus (NIC.) BÖRNER captured on the tete of a child. It is the troisième[sic ] case of alive Collemboles on the Man known up to now (1896, FRECHE and BEILLE: an old man infested during several consecutive years by Sira sp., or, more probably, opinion of HANDSCHIN, by Lepidocyrtinus; 1926, HANDSCHIN: a child carrying Orchesella cincta LINN.; 1928, COUTELEN: a sixty year old woman whose hair has been invaded for two years by Lepidocyrtus curvicollis BOURLET). The case observed in Brussels differs from the precedents by the following points: 1. the subjects are town and either countrymen; 2. they live in apartment in a new building offering of broad fenetres, furnished with a furniture modern and deprived of plants; 3. there was contamination: several members of the family (father, mother, a child) lodged Collembole, two children of it were free; the 4. parents are young people, very clean, the children are well looked after, the house is extremely well held." van den Bruel, W.E. (1945:34-41) (Presentation submitted on June 26, 1943) Belgium: "p.35-36: The new case of alive Collembole on the man come to our knowledge differs somewhat from the precedents. It is about a nine year old small boy living downtown full, in Brussels, with his parents, in a new house and in an excellent state of maintenance. The restrictions due to the war generated an abnormal increase in the cases of infection by the lice in the children. The small boy in question was contaminated by these parasites at the school, two months before the observations; he transmitted the infection to his young mom. A suitable treatment put an end to this accident. However the child then observes at the school, by twice, an insect jumping of his tete on the desk. His/her parents do not pretent any attention with the account of the incident until the day when the father notices Collembole which leaps on its work table, in his own apartment. Then the mom notes by twice the fall of Collembole in the wash-hand basin whereas it is capped, and it finds two other insects while combing the small boy. The brothers and sisters of the child, more young people, are not contaminated, but fifteen days later, a sister-in-law, who recoit frequently the visit of the family and which apprehended the contagion, at it also Collembole jumping to him of the tete surprises on the table. Since, there was not apparently new contamination any more. The people reached are very clean; they never felt an unspecified prurit. Appatement is extremely well held and in excellent state, is lit by large fenetres, extremement dryness and is
furnished with a new furniture; it does not contain crop plants out of pots. Mr. MARLIER, which we thank here, agreed to determine the specimens of Collembole that we had; it is about Lepidocyrtinus domesticus (NIC) BÖRNER. It captured itself on several occasions of the individuals of this species in houses of the agglomeration of Brussels." p.39: "For the case which occupied us, it is probable that the place of infection is the residence of the patients and not, as those believed it, the sand plain where the children played." p.40 (conclusion): "Collemboles can be considerées up to a certain point like ectoparasites for the people likely to be infested, because: 1. the infection is durable; the 2. insects return with obstinacy on these subjects; 3. they nourish peutetre secretions of the scalp or same of the pellicular remains; 4. they are likely sometimes to contaminate a new individual. Their presence cannot thus be considerée like purely accidental. They are however hosts absolutely pain-killers, incompetents to cause the least lesion of the scalp."

van den Bruel, W.E. in Collart, A. 1944. Société entomologique de Belgique, Assemblée mensuelle du 2 décembre 1944., Bulletin et Annales de la Société entomologique de Belgique, Tome Quatre-Vingtième, XI-XII, 1944, p.208-210.

van den Bruel, W.E. 1945. A propos de Collemboles vivant sur l'Homme., Annales de la Société Royale Zoologique de Belgique, Tome Septante-Cinq, LXXV, 1945, p.34-41.