Invertebrates medicinal leech. Medical search. Frequent questions

Hirudo orientalis is a species of medicinal leech. (wikipedia.org)
A new species of the medicinal leech (Oligochaeta, Hirudinida, Hirudo) from Transcaucasia and an identification key for the genus Hirudo. (wikipedia.org)
Diverse molecular data demonstrate that commercially available medicinal leeches are not Hirudo medicinalis. (wikipedia.org)
Distribution and status of medicinal leeches (genus Hirudo) in the Western Palaearctic: anthropogenic, ecological, or historical effects? (wikipedia.org)
Can different species of medicinal leeches (Hirudo spp. (wikipedia.org)
Maybe it shouldn't have been such an epiphany to find that Hirudo medicinalis, the medicinal leech, could have more inherent dignity and complexity than a member of the county board of freeholders. (nwf.org)
On this website you find information about this fascinating group of ecto-parasites (or predators), with special reference to medicinal leeches of the genus Hirudo. (hirudinea-lamarck1818.com)
One of the rarest invertebrates in Scotland, the Medicinal Leech (Hirudo medicinalis), has been confirmed in Dumfries and Galloway for the first time, after. (envirotecmagazine.com)
One of the bloodsucking leech species common in our region is Macrobdella decora , also known as the North American medicinal leech, although the European species Hirudo medicinalis and Hirudo verbana have been used more commonly for medicinal purposes. (adirondackalmanack.com)
Hirudo medicinalis - These types of leeches are known as "medical leeches" and can consume ten times their body weight in blood. (a-z-animals.com)
The medical leech, Hirudo medicinalis may bring about severe diseases by transmitting infectious agents that cause syphilis ( Treponema pallidum ), erysipelas ( Streptococcus sp. (biomedcentral.com)
The medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, was one of the first aquatic parasites to be cultured. (ap24534inhibitor.com)

Leeches are segmented invertebrates (Annelida) related to earthworms. (hirudinea-lamarck1818.com)
Earthworms have provided ancient cultures with food and sources of medicinal cures. (hindawi.com)
Gradually fostering an approach to potential beneficial healing properties, there are renewed efforts through bioprospecting and evidence-based research to understand by means of rigorous investigations the mechanisms of action whether earthworms are used as food and/or as sources of potential medicinal products. (hindawi.com)
Animal models especially invertebrates (e.g., fruit flies, nematodes, and earthworms are inexpensive, require less ethical concerns, and are therefore noncontroversial) are crucial to understanding mechanisms that underlie biological processes. (hindawi.com)
Earthworms are the largest members in the Oligochaeta phylum Annelida or segmented worms, terrestrial relatives of certain marine species, and medicinal leeches that are also of clinical relevance. (hindawi.com)
Pond leeches eat earthworms most of the time. (feedingnature.com)
One possibility is that Pond leeches eat earthworms because they are an easy food source. (feedingnature.com)
Another possibility is that Pond leeches eat earthworms because they need the nutrients found in their bodies. (feedingnature.com)
Whatever the reason, Pond leeches regularly feed on earthworms, making them an important part of the aquatic food web. (feedingnature.com)
They are invertebrates that are members of the Annelida phylum, which is the phylum that includes earthworms . (a-z-animals.com)
Leeches have a lot many things in common with the earthworms especially when you talk about their looks and physique. (pestwiki.com)
Even leeches and earthworms make a good bait for fishes and especially walleye. (pestwiki.com)
But, in an article in The American Naturalist called "An American Terrestrial Leech," written in 1890, author S. A. Forbes reports on Semiscolex (now Haemopis ) terrestris , a terrestrial leech that eats earthworms and snails (the BugLady is not making this up) and is found in moist soil as far as a half-mile from water in central Illinois. (riveredgenaturecenter.org)

Pond leeches primarily feed on small insects and insect larvae. (feedingnature.com)
Invertebrate species include insects (like ticks and spiders) as well as snails, sea stars sponges, and hydra and so on. (microbiologynote.com)
Apart from such leeches which have jaws and jawless ones, there are few species of leeches which directly gulps down the insects and are known as worm leeches. (pestwiki.com)
Some of the earliest applications outside animal agriculture were for the disinsection (to kill insects, mites, and other invertebrate pests) of commercial aircraft subject to quarantine requirements when crossing international boundaries (Rasmussen et al. (cdc.gov)

Pond leeches are often found near the bottom of ponds and lakes, feeding on small invertebrates such as worms and insect larvae. (feedingnature.com)

J. M. Elliott & M. Dobson: Freshwater Leeches of Britain and Ireland. (hirudinea-lamarck1818.com)
Species with full protection under the Act include the marsh fritillary butterfly, southern damselfly, mole cricket, fairy shrimp, medicinal leech and freshwater pearl mussel, amongst many others. (naturalresources.wales)
Weaver said scientists estimate about 10 percent of leech species - which are found from the tropics to desert watering holes to Antarctica - are parasitic, and only a couple of the 70 or so freshwater species found in North America are bloodsuckers. (adirondackalmanack.com)
They are also known as freshwater leeches. (feedingnature.com)
Most species of leeches live in freshwater, but some species live in marine or terrestrial habitats. (feedingnature.com)
Pond leeches are small, segmented worms that live in freshwater environments. (feedingnature.com)
Of these, 100 are saltwater leeches, 480 are freshwater and the rest live on land. (a-z-animals.com)
The most commonly found leeches are freshwater leeches and are usually found in water sources such as ponds, rivers, lakes, etc. leeches are generally supposed to be as creepy worms, but there is a leech species known as Macrobdella decora which has an orange colored belly and orange polka dots all over its body which makes it look attractive. (pestwiki.com)
The saliva of freshwater leeches is also used for preparing medicines as the saliva of such leeches contains anesthetic properties. (pestwiki.com)
Unlike the freshwater leeches which are found in water sources, these terrestrial leeches are found on the land. (pestwiki.com)
The majority of leeches live in freshwater environments such as rivers and ponds, while some species can be found in terrestrial and marine environments. (rsbmt.org.br)

There are over 680 different species or types of leeches. (a-z-animals.com)
We have studied three different types of leeches above, but there is another factor that can be used as a differentiation factor That is their mouth. (pestwiki.com)

And the majority of leeches aren't even bloodsuckers. (adirondackalmanack.com)

Today, doctors use medical leeches to clean delicate tissue during surgery. (a-z-animals.com)
Besides medical leeches, there are reports that Ozobranchus (turtle leech) may be a mechanical vector for the fibropapilloma-associated turtle herpesvirus [ 5 ] and that Rickettsia infection was detected in Torix tagoi , Torix tukubana and Hemiclepsis marginata [ 6 ]. (biomedcentral.com)

Piscicola geometra - These leeches can be found in freshwaters of North America and northwestern areas of Europe, in both stagnate and fast-moving water. (a-z-animals.com)
A leech species known as Notostomum leave was the first marine leech that was found in the oceans of North America. (pestwiki.com)
There are about 65 species in North America - some are scavengers, some prey on their aquatic neighbors, and those that are blood-suckers ( haematophages ) often specialize in one group, like invertebrates, turtles, frogs, ducks, or fish. (riveredgenaturecenter.org)

Comparative structural analysis of jaws of selected blood-feeding and predacious arhynchobdellid leeches (Annelida: Clitellata: Hirudinida). (wikipedia.org)
Leeches are a member of phylum Annelida and class Hirudinea. (rsbmt.org.br)

And the giant Amazon leech, a bloodsucking species found in South America, can grow up to 18 inches long. (adirondackalmanack.com)
The largest leech species is the giant Amazon leech ( Haementeria ghilianii ), which can grow 18 inches long and 4 inches wide. (a-z-animals.com)

The timing here depends on the species of leech. (adirondackalmanack.com)
This species of leech may definitely be a pretty looking creature but only when it is away and not sucking your blood because even such beautiful looking leeches can make you panic when they are found somewhere clinging on your body. (pestwiki.com)
All of the 700 or so known species of leech are carnivores (" liquid-a-vores ," to coin a phrase), but few feed on mammal blood and even fewer on humans. (riveredgenaturecenter.org)

Pond leeches are predators that feed on small invertebrates, worms, and even fish. (feedingnature.com)
Pond leeches are predators that commonly eat snails. (feedingnature.com)

There have been identified more than 100 animal species: 42 terrestrial and 16 aquatic invertebrates, 5 fish species, 1 amphibian and 1 reptile species, 30 birds (including 22 breeding), 16 mammalian species (including 8 species of bats). (forumgeografic.ro)
Pond leeches can be harmful to your fish and other aquatic animals. (feedingnature.com)
Marine leeches as the name suggests are leeches that are found in the depth of oceans, and they usually feed on other aquatic life forms. (pestwiki.com)
This aquatic beetle was first discovered by Hugh Leech, a beetle expert, in 1964. (northlondonvet.org)

Invertebrates are extraordinarily varied creatures, united by only a single trait: They lack backbones. (nwf.org)
Invertebrates are animals without backbones. (naturalresources.wales)
The majority of animals can be classified into two major groups, namely vertebrates (animals with backbones) as well as invertebrates (animals without backbones). (microbiologynote.com)

Leeches inject anesthetics to block pain so prey won't notice a bite, and anticoagulants to stop blood from clotting during a meal. (calacademy.org)
For case in point, leeches have been used to clean wounds , slugs and snails to handle inflammation, spider webs to dress wounds, and termite pincers to inject medication underneath the skin. (besthealthideas.com)

Pond leeches are small, reddish-brown animals found in ponds and lakes. (feedingnature.com)
Land-dwelling leeches usually live on the banks of ponds and lakes. (a-z-animals.com)

Pond leeches have a specialized mouth with numerous razor-sharp teeth that they use to tear their prey apart. (feedingnature.com)
Pond leeches use their sharp teeth to puncture the bodies of their prey and then suck out the soft tissue inside. (feedingnature.com)
These leeches do not prefer human blood as a treat, but you can easily be attacked by one of you accidentally fall prey to a leech . (pestwiki.com)
There are leeches which have jaws and are capable of sticking on to its prey with the help of their teeth while sucking blood. (pestwiki.com)
Such leeches are not bloodsuckers and eat their prey as a whole. (pestwiki.com)
Leeches that feed on small invertebrates like snails, or on amphibian eggs may swallow their prey whole, extract the bodily fluids, and spit out the crunchy-bits. (riveredgenaturecenter.org)
Many species of leeches, like sharks, zero in on prey that splashes around in/disturbs the water. (riveredgenaturecenter.org)

These type of leeches are usually found in countries like Asia, Africa, South America. (pestwiki.com)

Another class of animals that looks promising for medicine is blood-feeding invertebrates like leeches, mosquitoes, horseflies and ticks. (labonline.com.au)

the earthworm, the fireworm or the leech. (exampleslab.com)
A leech looks like a fat, dark, and glossy earthworm. (a-z-animals.com)
Yes, an earthworm is the very first picture that may come to your mind when you think about the cousins of a leech . (pestwiki.com)

Chances are, though, if you've ever had a leech attached to your body, you likely didn't even notice it until you saw it, because you never felt the bite. (adirondackalmanack.com)
Their saliva also contains both anticoagulant and anesthetic agents, so not only will the meal source be unlikely to feel the leech bite, the blood will flow more freely into the leech. (adirondackalmanack.com)
The small size of these teeth is part of the reason you can't feel a leech bite. (a-z-animals.com)
Vaginal bleeding in children due to a leech bite is very rare. (rsbmt.org.br)
However, severe injuries to the internal viscera due to a leech bite are uncommon. (rsbmt.org.br)
To our knowledge, this is the first report of vaginal bleeding due to a leech bite in a virgin girl from a rural area of Sarakhs in Khorasan Razavi province, Iran. (rsbmt.org.br)

There are many reasons why pond leeches may target snails as a food source. (feedingnature.com)
Additionally, pond leeches may consume snails to obtain nutrients that are not present in other food sources. (feedingnature.com)
Pond leeches typically hunt at night, when snails are less active and more likely to be caught off guard. (feedingnature.com)
These jawless leeches usually feed on the blood of snails, frogs, etc. (pestwiki.com)

My friends and I called ourselves environmentalists, but zoology-- and above all invertebrate zoology--was a subject for geeks. (nwf.org)

Pond leeches will typically detach once full, but they can also be removed by applying pressure to their body. (feedingnature.com)
Bloodsucking leeches scrape their sharp teeth back and forth on the skin to start the blood flowing, and then they clamp down with their sucker like a little limpet, creating a tight seal on the wound (using a fingernail to break the suction is one way to detach a leech). (riveredgenaturecenter.org)

Kinabalu giant red leeches are carnivores eating a worm that lives alongside it in Borneo. (a-z-animals.com)

Injection with ACTH restored the normal inter-renal responses of hellbenders, suggesting that leeches, possibly through neurotransmitters in leech saliva, cause down-regulation of corticosterone release at the level of the pituitary or hypothalamus. (silverchair.com)

Historically, sick horses were used as hosts for in vivo culture, while today medicinal leeches are bred in outdoor ponds on amphibian hosts or cultured in vitro using blood from slaughtered livestock. (ap24534inhibitor.com)
We determined whether parasitic infections with leeches and/or trypanosomes affected the immune and stress response of an imperiled giant species of amphibian, the eastern hellbender ( Cryptobranchus alleganiensis Daudin). (silverchair.com)

We all have a picture of leeches being dark-colored bloodsuckers that can chew off at swollen places. (pestwiki.com)

We consider them bloodsucking pests and use the term "leech" as an insult. (a-z-animals.com)

The rest get their nourishment primarily from eating larvae, invertebrates, and decaying matter. (adirondackalmanack.com)

The leech (Hirudinea) is a predator and blood-sucking parasite that is native to almost every continent. (a-z-animals.com)

Jaws and teeth: This species has three jaws, as is typical for a medicinal leech, which are monostichodont and bearing papillae. (wikipedia.org)
Leeches tend to have three to four rows of teeth that slice into the skin, making this very even slice," said Weaver. (adirondackalmanack.com)
A leech typically has two or three rows of tiny teeth. (a-z-animals.com)

A meal typically lasts from half an hour to a few hours, during which time a leech will swell to several times its pre-meal size. (adirondackalmanack.com)
They deposit eggs in a cocoon, which they then typically attach to a rock or log underwater until the baby leeches emerge. (adirondackalmanack.com)
If leeches make you squirm, just be glad to live here, where leeches typically measure only an inch or two and are confined to shallow water. (adirondackalmanack.com)
Pond leeches typically range from about 1/2 inch to 2 inches long. (feedingnature.com)
Pond leeches typically eat blood because it is a rich source of nutrients. (feedingnature.com)

Pond leeches are carnivorous animals that primarily eat small fish. (feedingnature.com)
A leech can be termed as a carnivorous blood-sucking worm that is usually found in fresh water. (pestwiki.com)

There is another category of leeches which do not have jaws instead have a proboscis which is used for sucking blood. (pestwiki.com)

The annelids (from Latin annelum meaning "rings") are vermiform (worm-shaped) invertebrate animals that have a soft body segmented into rings. (exampleslab.com)
We very well now that leeches are a lookalike of the worm family and survive by drinking blood. (pestwiki.com)

However, vaginal bleeding due to a leech entering the vagina is unusual in the tropics 2 . (rsbmt.org.br)

Leeches are most commonly used with tissues that are likely to go necrotic after time," Weaver said - for example, on skin transplants or in reconstructive surgery. (adirondackalmanack.com)

Leeches enjoy quiet, sun-warmed ponds with plant debris on the bottom, and, just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, a healthy leech habitat may support as many as 7,000 leeches per square meter (so it's a good thing we don't use the metric system here) (one source says that if you don't like having leeches in your pond, get rid of the frogs). (riveredgenaturecenter.org)

Pond leeches may be attracted to the slime that covers snail shells, which makes the snail an easy target to capture and consume. (feedingnature.com)

The name suggests that invertebrates do not have a backbone or internal skeletons. (microbiologynote.com)

They can survive on land, but they at least require a humid environment which can give the apt amount of moisture to maintain their mucus which is like a protective covering for the leeches. (pestwiki.com)
If it happens that there is a lack of moisture in the environment for such leeches to survive, then they dig holes in the mud and get inside to gain the moisture that they need for their survival. (pestwiki.com)
Leeches that live in ephemeral ponds survive the dry periods down in the mud, dormant, and overwintering leeches in permanent waters do the same. (riveredgenaturecenter.org)
The salts in the water make it difficult for other invertebrates to survive. (northlondonvet.org)

The leech uses its suction cups to attach itself to the skin of an animal and suck its blood. (a-z-animals.com)

New study seems to show that effluents from wastewater treatment plants change the balance of invertebrate communities in Hesse's waters Effluents from wastewater treatment plants. (envirotecmagazine.com)
Such leeches are found in the cold and chilly waters of the oceans. (pestwiki.com)

The New England medicinal leech could be a poster child for invertebrate and parasite conservation, according to researchers. (therevelator.org)

Annelids are invertebrate animals. (exampleslab.com)
They are popularly known as leeches and they are animals that do not have setae, they have suckers, they are hermaphrodites and they are ectoparasites or feed on vertebrates. (exampleslab.com)
As stated, all animals fall into two major categories or groups that are vertebrates and invertebrates. (microbiologynote.com)
Most leeches are predominantly blood suckers that feed on blood from vertebrate and invertebrate animals 3 . (rsbmt.org.br)

Pond leeches are predatory creatures that will consume just about any type of animal matter they come across. (feedingnature.com)

While some organisms have three body layers, other organisms (primitive invertebrates) have only two layers of body. (microbiologynote.com)

The largest of the leeches in Britain, it feeds on the blood of fish, amphibians, birds and mammals. (dungeness-nnr.co.uk)

Leeches have both an anterior and posterior sucker, which allows them to attach to their host and feed. (feedingnature.com)
Her vagina was explored using a nasal speculum and a 6-cm leech was observed in the posterior wall of the vagina at the junction of the middle and lower thirds ( Figure 1 and 2 ). (rsbmt.org.br)

Infection with leeches also increased the relative abundance of eosinophils, white blood cells often recruited into circulation in response to parasitic infection. (silverchair.com)

No bones about it: This unusual little invertebrate easily takes the goth crown. (calacademy.org)
This study describes the isolation of a leech following the presentation of unusual vaginal bleeding. (rsbmt.org.br)

Most folks who've enjoyed a dip in the local swimming hole - whether at a pond, lake, or river - have probably found, on occasion, a leech or two stuck to their skin while toweling off afterwards. (adirondackalmanack.com)
A related leech was found in Michigan and Connecticut. (riveredgenaturecenter.org)
One study examining 2253 Amazon tree species found 44% of them had beneficial medicinal properties. (labonline.com.au)

particularly invertebrates and fish - including brown trout, bullhead and the endangered sea trout. (highweald.org)
One of the most common ways for pond leeches to obtain food is by attaching themselves to fish and consuming their blood. (feedingnature.com)
As a result of their hunting methods, pond leeches can decimate a small fish population in a short period. (feedingnature.com)
But there is never a chance of the different type of species of leeches feeding on both the fishes, they either eat ebony or cartilaginous fish but never both. (pestwiki.com)

Here, leeches are harmless, if not always welcome by human bathers. (adirondackalmanack.com)
Leeches can transmit pathogens and are therefore potentially hazardous to human and animal health. (biomedcentral.com)
In the 18th century, large-scale use of wild-caught leeches in Europe for human medicine gradually led to depopulation and the subsequent development of hirudiniculture [2]. (ap24534inhibitor.com)
T below is some use of invertebrates in standard human drugs also. (besthealthideas.com)

Where do leeches live? (a-z-animals.com)
Leeches live in every continent except Antarctica . (a-z-animals.com)
These leeches as the name suggest live on land but for short durations, they can also spend their lives submerged in water. (pestwiki.com)
These reports suggest that various live bacteria or viruses can remain in the gut of leeches. (biomedcentral.com)

Species such as the leech can feed on blood because they are external parasites. (exampleslab.com)

This is the first report of severe bleeding in a virgin 14-year-old girl from Mashhad, Iran due to the presence of a leech in the vagina. (rsbmt.org.br)

While leeches will feed on just about any type of animal tissue, they prefer blood as it is a rich source of nutrients. (feedingnature.com)
For this reason, pond leeches are sometimes used in medical procedures to treat blood disorders. (feedingnature.com)
Hirudin is a naturally occurring peptide in the salivary glands of bloodsucking leeches that prevents blood clotting. (a-z-animals.com)
Because the blood remaining in the leeches can be detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), this method has recently been used to monitor the biodiversity of terrestrial mammals that are blood meal to these worms. (biomedcentral.com)

Therefore, further studies are needed to explore the possibility of zoonotic pathogen transmission by land leeches. (biomedcentral.com)
The possibility that leeches can be vectors of pathogens has been studied in the more recent past, especially with the advent of leech therapy. (biomedcentral.com)

Anatomy8

Organisms6

Chemicals and Drugs6

Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment6

Psychiatry and Psychology1

Phenomena and Processes5

Disciplines and Occupations2

Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena4

Information Science2

Hirudo12

Earthworms13

Insects4

Feeding on small invertebrates1

Freshwater11

Types of leeches2

Majority of leeches1

Medical leeches2

North America3

Annelida2

Giant Amazon leech2

Species of leech3

Predators2

Aquatic4

Backbones3

Inject2

Ponds and lakes2

Prey7

South America1

Mosquitoes1

Earthworm3

Bite6

Snails4

Zoology1

Detach2

Carnivores1

Saliva1

Amphibian2

Bloodsuckers1

Pests1

Larvae1

Hirudinea1

Teeth3

Typically5

Carnivorous2

Jaws1

Worm2

Tropics1

Commonly1

Frogs1

Slime1

Name suggests1

Survive4

Suction1

Waters2

Parasite1

Animals4

Consume1

Organisms1

Britain1

Posterior2

Infection1

Unusual2

Found3

Fish4

Human4

Live4

Parasites1

Severe1

Blood4

Possibility2