Leech use as a medical practice dates back to ancient Egypt Whitaker et al. Leeches are especially used after free-tissue transfer such as replanted digits, ears, facial and breast tissue Whitaker et al. Leech therapy provides great therapeutic benefits during post-operative remediation, with studies demonstrating an associated decrease in the rate of graft failures and risk of amputation Whitaker et al.
Leeches are applied to the venous-congested sites and bite the tissue to withdraw obstructive blood while simultaneously secreting an anticoagulating agent and vasodilators to further reduce circulatory obstruction and facilitate blood flow through the area Michalsen et al. However, the advantages of leech therapy are confounded by more recent and widely reported occurrences of leech-borne infections at the bite wound, which may cause septicemia in the patient when left untreated.
Complications of leech therapy occur in part due to bacterial infections, which are thought to originate from the microbial community of the H. Prophylactic antibiotics reduce incidence of infections to the lower end of this range, though in some clinical settings no prophylactics are used at all Whitaker et al.
The occurrence of infections dramatically reduces the ability to salvage new tissue and thus jeopardizes the successful outcome of the surgery Whitaker et al. Even with prophylactic antibiotic use, recent case reports describe severe infection of the tissue graft, which in some cases resulted in amputation of the limb or digit Table 2. Recently published case reports of Ciprofloxacin R Aeromonas spp. The most commonly isolated bacteria from infected leech bite wounds belong to the Aeromonas genus, including the fish and human pathogen A.
These numbers may be affected by species-misidentifications resulting from inadequate characterization methods of the strains within this genus Silver et al. Surprisingly, a recent Aeromonas infection following a pharyngectomy was reported to cause pneumonia in addition to tissue flap infection Van Derick and Dasgupta, The risks associated with leech-borne Aeromonas infections have led many hospitals to adopt the use of ciprofloxacin Cp , for prophylactic treatment as a standard practice before leech application.
Cp is a widely used broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone and has been shown to inhibit Aeromonas , making it very useful in leech therapy prophylaxis Whitaker et al. Until the s, Aeromonas resistance to Cp was largely unreported, and to our knowledge, no Cp R Cp resistance cases associated with leech therapy were published until From to , infections by Cp R A. These infections occurred at a range of body sites and to date have been successfully controlled by administering either individual antibiotics or combinations see Table 2 for details. However, serious consequences of Cp R Aeromonas infections following leech therapy can occur, including complete graft necrosis and amputation.
For example, in a patient receiving leech therapy after mandibular surgery acquired an infection that resulted in tissue necrosis and required immediate treatment with more effective antibiotics Van Derick and Dasgupta, In light of these nosocomial infections caused by Aeromonas strains, some research has been done to determine the genetic factors underlying an increase in Cp R. Several studies suggested the importance of point mutations in gyrA and parC as well as the acquisition of plasmid encoded resistance genes such as qnrS in Cp R Giraud et al.
However, further work needs to be performed to directly link clinical isolates to leeches and the genetic basis of the Cp R in these strains remains to be determined. A microbiome that is consistently dominated by two species, access to the genome sequences, culturability of dominant symbionts, and an ability to genetically manipulate Aeromonas are reasons for which the medicinal leech is an excellent model for studying the microbe—host interactions in digestive-tract symbioses. Owing in part to ease of culturing and genetic manipulation of Aeromonas , the nutrition, colonization, and persistence factor requirements of this symbiont are much better understood than others, such as M.
Global interrogative methods such as metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses have proven invaluable in identifying host and symbiont responses relating to altered gut microbiome composition and physiology. Future elucidation of more complex interactions and interrelations amongst symbionts and the leech host, such as nutrient metabolic cascades and specific immune responses, will require increased application of biochemical, molecular and genetic tools. We now have a substantial understanding and appreciation of the diversity of the leech microbiome.
Future research should aim to identify parameters that contribute to the establishment of the leech gut microbiome. Lastly, despite the proven medical benefits of leech therapy, recognition of the leech as a vector for wound infections following reconstructive surgery has led to a greater appreciation for a need to proactively minimize this undesired outcome. To this end, prophylactic administration of ciprofloxacin is common practice in leech therapy.
However, since we now know medicinal leech associated Aeromonad fluoroquinolone resistance is on the rise, medical practices will need to be modified to prevent avoidable infections. All authors listed have made substantial, direct and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Transcriptional analysis of the pst operon of Escherichia coli.
Molecular mechanisms of quinolone resistance in clinical isolates of Aeromonas caviae and Aeromonas veronii bv. Proteins and peptides of the salivary gland secretion of medicinal leeches Hirudo verbana. Intestinal alkaline phosphatase detoxifies lipopolysaccharide and prevents inflammation in zebrafish in response to the gut microbiota. Cell Host Microbe 2, — Infection risk related to the use of medicinal leeches. Strategies to avoid wrongly labelled genomes using as example the detected wrong taxonomic affiliation for Aeromonas genomes in the GenBank database. Investigation into the physiologies of Aeromonas veronii in vitro and inside the digestive tract of the medicinal leech using RNA-seq.
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Directed culturing of microorganisms using metatranscriptomics. Draft genome sequence of Aeromonas veronii Hm21, a symbiotic isolate from the medicinal leech digestive tract. Complement resistance is essential for colonization of the digestive tract of Hirudo medicinalis by Aeromonas strains. Pseudomonas hirudinis , ein bakterieller Darmsymbiont des Blutegels Hirudo officinalis. Die Bakterienflora der medizinischen Blutegel.
Iron acquisition and virulence in the motile aeromonads: Lumbricin I, a novel proline-rich antimicrobial peptide from the earthworm: Bioinformatic genome comparisons for taxonomic and phylogenetic assignments using Aeromonas as a test case. Identification of a mutation in the pst-phoU operon that reduces pathogenicity of an Escherichia coli strain causing septicemia in pigs.
Exploring the use of the medicinal leech: Different types of response to foreign antigens by leech leukocytes. Tissue Cell 32, 40— Lipopolysaccharide-dependent induction of leech leukocytes that cross-react with vertebrate cellular differentiation markers. Tissue Cell 32, — Ciprofloxacin-resistant Aeromonas hydrophila cellulitis following leech therapy. Mechanisms of quinolone resistance and clonal relationship among Aeromonas salmonicida strains isolated from reared fish with furunculosis. Adaptations against heme toxicity in blood-feeding arthropods.
Symbiosis of Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria and Hirudo medicinalis , the medicinal leech: The symbiosis of Aeromonas and Hirudo medicinalis , the medicinal leech. ASM News 66, — Lessons from digestive-tract symbiosis between bacteria and invertebrates. Leeches and their microbiota: The metal permease ZupT from Escherichia coli is a transporter with a broad substrate spectrum. Simultaneous identification of bacterial virulence genes by negative selection. Common molecular mechanisms of symbiosis and pathogenesis.
De novo transcriptome assembly databases for the central nervous system of the medicinal leech. A molecular sensor that allows a gut commensal to control its nutrient foundation in a competitive ecosystem. An Asian origin of virulent Aeromonas hydrophila responsible for disease epidemics in United States-farmed catfish. Elucidation of the Photorhabdus temperata genome and generation of a transposon mutant library to identify motility mutants altered in pathogenesis.
Ingested blood contributes to the specificity of the symbiosis of Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria and Hirudo medicinalis , the medicinal leech. Macin family of antimicrobial proteins combines antimicrobial and nerve repair activities. Stratified bacterial community in the bladder of the medicinal leech, irudo verbana.
Endosymbiotic bacteria in the esophageal organ of glossiphoniid leeches. Spatial and temporal population dynamics of a naturally occurring two-species microbial community inside the digestive tract of the medicinal leech. Rhs proteins from diverse bacteria mediate intercellular competition.
Inactivation of the pst system reduces the virulence of an avian pathogenic Escherichia coli O78 strain. Characterization of the digestive-tract microbiota of Hirudo orientalis , a European medicinal leech. Ingestive behaviour and physiology of the medicinal leech.
Aeromonas hydrophila infections following use of medicinal leeches in replantation and flap surgery. Construction of a medicinal leech transcriptome database and its application to the identification of leech homologs of neural and innate immune genes. The type II secretion system is essential for erythrocyte lysis and gut colonization by the leech digestive tract symbiont Aeromonas veronii.
Identification of iron and heme utilization genes in Aeromonas and their role in the colonization of the leech digestive tract. Metagenomic analysis of the medicinal leech gut microbiota. Solving a bloody mess: B-vitamin independent metabolic convergence among gammaproteobacterial obligate endosymbionts from blood-feeding arthropods and the leech Haementeria officinalis.
Aeromonas Stanier , AL. Negotiations between animals and bacteria: Effectiveness of leech therapy in women with symptomatic arthrosis of the first carpometacarpal joint: Salivary transcriptome of the North American medicinal leech, Macrobdella decora. Elimination of symbiotic Aeromonas spp. Complete genome sequence of the novel leech symbiont Mucinivorans hirudinis M3T. Bacterial symbioses of the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana. Gut Microbes 3, — Hitchhiking of host biology by beneficial symbionts enhances transmission. A tale of transmission: Aeromonas veronii activity within leech-exuded mucus.
Ciprofloxacin-resistant Aeromonas hydrophila infection following leech therapy: Molecular aspects of phosphate transport in Escherichia coli. Symbiont succession during embryonic development of the European medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana. Characterization of a catalase gene from Aeromonas veronii , the digestive-tract symbiont of the medicinal leech. Evidence for a core gut microbiota in the zebrafish. Symbiotic conversations are revealed under genetic interrogation. Transmission of Aeromonas hydrophila by leeches. Leech Biology and Behavior.
Iron and microbial infection. Microbial challenge promotes the regenerative process of the injured central nervous system of the medicinal leech by inducing the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides in neurons and microglia. Bacterial symbiont and salivary peptide evolution in the context of leech phylogeny. Leech mycetome endosymbionts are a new lineage of alphaproteobacteria related to the Rhizobiaceae. Diverse molecular data demonstrate that commercially available medicinal leeches are not Hirudo medicinalis.
Novel role for Aeromonas jandaei as a digestive tract symbiont of the North American medicinal leech. Innate and procured immunity inside the digestive tract of the medicinal leech. Interaction between innate immune cells and a bacterial type III secretion system in mutualistic and pathogenic associations. Identification of Aeromonas veronii genes required for colonization of the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana. Complex evolutionary history of the Aeromonas veronii group revealed by host interaction and DNA sequence data. The microbial pharmacists within us: Mucin glycan foraging in the human gut microbiome.
Reciprocal immune benefit based on complementary production of antibiotics by the leech Hirudo verbana and its gut symbiont Aeromonas veronii. Molecular characterization of two novel antibacterial peptides inducible upon bacterial challenge in an annelid, the leech Theromyzon tessulatum. Point mutations change specificity and kinetics of metal uptake by ZupT from Escherichia coli.
Phylogeny and phylogeography of medicinal leeches genus Hirudo: Regulation of bacterial virulence by Csr Rsm systems. Ciprofloxacin-resistant Aeromonas infection following leech therapy for digit replantation: A rare case of pneumonia caused by leeches. The universally conserved prokaryotic GTPases. Leech-transmitted ciprofloxacin-resistant Aeromonas hydrophila. A universally conserved ATPase regulates the oxidative stress response in Escherichia coli.
Structural and ultrastructural features of the inlet and outlet regions of the urinary bladders of the leech, Hirudo medicinalis L. Water and salt excretion in the leech. Hirudo medicinalis and the plastic surgeon. Medicinal leeches and the microsurgeon: Characterization of the digestive tract microbiota of Hirudo orientalis medicinal leech and antibiotic resistance profile.
K L Wortley (Author of A Catfish Amongst Leeches)
The efficacy of medicinal leeches in plastic and reconstructive surgery: The medicinal leech and its use in plastic surgery: The role of leech water sampling in choice of prophylactic antibiotics in medical leech therapy. Culture-independent characterization of the digestive-tract microbiota of the medicinal leech reveals a tripartite symbiosis. Aeromonas , Hirudo , digestive-tract symbiosis, bacteroidetes, leech therapy, mucinivorans, beneficial bacteria.
The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author s or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. This study first provides information on ecological aspects of leech -bone endocellular bacteria of the genus Rickettsia. On the basis of these data, we discuss possible mechanisms whereby Rickettsia infection is maintained in natural populations of these leeches in the freshwater ecosystem. From bloodletting to bioconcentration: Science resurrects the leech. Leeches are being used by environmental chemists at the Westwater Research Center at the University of British Columbia to measure the contamination levels of local rivers.
As the chemical Agent Orange is broken down, chlorinated phenols are released and absorbed by the leeches. The levels of the chlorophenols are too small to be detected by conventional methods, so the leeches are used as monitoring organisms. The leeches are being tested to see if they could be used to monitor other pollutants as well. Regeneration mechanisms in Syllidae Annelida. Syllids have striking ability to regenerate their body anteriorly and posteriorly, which in many species is redeployed during sexual schizogamy and asexual fission reproduction.
This review summarizes the available data on regeneration in syllids, covering descriptions of regenerative mechanisms in different species as well as regeneration in relation to reproductive modes. Our survey shows that posterior regeneration is widely distributed in syllids, whereas anterior regeneration is limited in most of the species, excepting those reproducing by fission.
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The latter reproductive mode is well known for a few species belonging to Autolytinae, Eusyllinae, and Syllinae. Patterns of fission areas have been studied in these animals. Deviations of the regular regeneration pattern or aberrant forms such as bifurcated animals or individuals with multiple heads have been reported for several species. Building exploration with leeches Hirudo verbana. Safe evacuation of people from building and outdoor environments, and search and rescue operations, always will remain actual in course of all socio-technological developments.
Modern facilities offer a range of automated systems to guide residents towards emergency exists. The systems are assumed to be infallible. But what if they fail? How occupants not familiar with a building layout will be looking for exits in case of very limited visibility where tactile sensing is the only way to assess the environment? Analogous models of human behaviour, and socio-dynamics in general, are provided to be fruitful ways to explore alternative, or would-be scenarios.
Crowd, or a single person, dynamics could be imitated using particle systems, reaction-diffusion chemical medium, electro-magnetic fields, or social insects. Each type of analogous model offer unique insights on behavioural patterns of natural systems in constrained geometries. In this particular paper we have chosen leeches to analyse patterns of exploration. First, when deprived from other stimuli leeches change their behavioural modes in an automated regime in response to mechanical stimulation.
Therefore leeches can give us invaluable information on how human beings might behave under stress and limited visibility. Second, leeches are ideal blueprints of future soft-bodied rescue robots. Leeches have modular nervous circuitry with a rich behavioral spectrum. Leeches are multi-functional, fault-tolerant with autonomous inter-segment coordination and adaptive decision-making. We aim to answer the question: In our case studies we use templates made on the floor plan of real building.
Leech in urinary bladder causing hematuria. To estimate efficacy of normal saline in the management of hematuria caused by accidental entry of a leech per urethra into the urinary bladder. In all cases, a leech had entered the urinary bladder through the urethra causing hematuria. All patients were equipped with a self-retaining Foley catheter.
They were managed by infusing 50ml of normal saline into the urinary bladder through the catheter that was then clamped for 3h. After removing the catheter, in all cases the whole leech was spontaneously expelled intact, dead or alive, within h during the subsequent act of micturition. Hematuria gradually diminished to a clear flow within the next 6h in 27 cases, 12h in 14 cases and 24h in two cases. All patients were followed up for 2 weeks, and none developed recurrent hematuria. Catheterization and irrigation of the urinary bladder with normal saline is a relatively simple, safe and inexpensive method of removing the leech and controlling hematuria.
Medicinal leech therapy-an overall perspective. Complementary medicine methods have a long history, but modern medicine has just recently focused on their possible modes of action. Medicinal leech therapy MLT or hirudotherapy, an old technique, has been studied by many researchers for possible effects on various diseases such as inflammatory diseases, osteoarthritis, and after different surgeries. Hirudo medicinalis has widest therapeutic usage among the leeches , but worldwide, many different species were tested and studied.
Leeches secrete more than 20 identified bioactive substances such as antistasin, eglins, guamerin, hirudin, saratin, bdellins, complement, and carboxypeptidase inhibitors. They have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, platelet inhibitory, anticoagulant, and thrombin regulatory functions, as well as extracellular matrix degradative and antimicrobial effects, but with further studies, the spectrum of effects may widen.
The technique is cheap, effective, easy to apply, and its modes of action have been elucidated for certain diseases. MLT is a part of multidisciplinary treatments, and secretes various bioactive substances. These substances vary among species and different species should be evaluated for both treatment capability and their particular secreted molecules. There is huge potential for novel substances and these could be future therapeutics. Alternative leech vectors for frog and turtle trypanosomes. Trypanosoma pipientis infections were achieved by exposing laboratory-raised bullfrog tadpoles Rana catesbeiana to the leech Desserobdella picta that had fed on infected frogs.
Likewise, a laboratory-raised snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina was infected with Trypanosoma chrysemydis following exposure to infected Placobdella ornata. Transmission of the trypanosomes by these leeches constitutes new vector records for the parasites. The biology of D. Micromere lineages in the glossiphoniid leech Helobdella. In leech embryos, segmental mesoderm and ectoderm arise from teloblasts by lineages that are already relatively well characterized.
Here, we present data concerning the early divisions and the definitive fate maps of the micromeres, a group of 25 small cells that arise during the modified spiral cleavage in leech Helobdella robusta and contribute to most of the nonsegmental tissues of the adult. Three noteworthy results of this work are as follows. First, in Helobdella sp.
Galt , the clone of micromere b" does not normally die, and contributes a subset of the cells arising exclusively from c" in H. Second, in Helobdella sp. Galt , micromere c"' makes no definitive contribution, whereas micromere dm' gives rise to cells equivalent to those arising from c"' and dm' in H. The leech Oligobdella biannulata is a relatively rare species, endemic to mountain streams of the Southern Blue Ridge Physiographic Zone, exclusive of Virginia.
Oligobdella biannulata was originally thought to be host specific to Desmognathus quadramaculatus. Clinical efficacy of Jalaukawacharana leech application in Thrombosed piles. Though the disease is within the limits of management, it has its own complications like severe hemorrhage, inflammation, and thrombosis, by which a patient gets severe pain and is unable to continue his routine work.
Prior to surgical treatment of hemorrhoids, associated conditions like inflammation, strangulation, thrombosis, etc. Thrombosed piles possibly occur due to high venous pressure associated with severe anal pain. Leech Hirudina medicanalis application is found to be effective in reducing pain. In thrombosed piles, leech application has shown thrombolytic action, which contributes in re-establishment of circulation. It is observed in the study that, pus and mucous discharge have been reduced after leech application; which may be due to antimicrobial and mucolytic properties of leech.
This method of treatment is found to be effective and increase the quality of life in patients suffering with thrombosed piles. Anti- leech activity of Scutellaria baicalensis and Morinda citrifolia extracts against Piscicola geometra. Piscicola geometra leeches are naturally infecting cobia juvenile.
The leeches attach to cobia by sucking and biting its surface and provide the gate of second infection. Water extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis root and Morinda citrifolia leaves were used to be tested through In Vitro method to look for the anti- leeches activity against Piscicola geometra.
In this study, a total number of leeches from infected cobia were prepared. The anti- leech activity from water extract of S. Significant anti- leech activity was observed with M. The average time was needed for S. This study indicated that S. Foreign body aspiration FBA is a common incidence in young children. Leeches are rarely reported as FBA at any age. This study describes a year-old female who presented with hemoptysis, hematemesis, coughs, melena, and anemia seven months prior to admission.
Chest X-ray showed a round hyperdensity in the right lower lobe. A chest computed tomography CT demonstrated an area of consolidation and surrounding ground glass opacities in the right lower lobe. Hematological investigations revealed anemia. Neuro-immune lessons from an annelid: An important question that remains unanswered is how the vertebrate neuroimmune system can be both friend and foe to the damaged nervous tissue.
Some of the difficulty in obtaining responses in mammals probably lies in the conflation in the central nervous system CNS , of the innate and adaptive immune responses, which makes the vertebrate neuroimmune response quite complex and difficult to dissect. An alternative strategy for understanding the relation between neural immunity and neural repair is to study an animal devoid of adaptive immunity and whose CNS is well described and regeneration competent. The medicinal leech offers such opportunity. If the nerve cord of this annelid is crushed or partially cut, axons grow across the lesion and conduction of signals through the damaged region is restored within a few days, even when the nerve cord is removed from the animal and maintained in culture.
When the mammalian spinal cord is injured, regeneration of normal connections is more or less successful and implies multiple events that still remain difficult to resolve. Interestingly, the regenerative process of the leech lesioned nerve cord is even more successful under septic than under sterile conditions suggesting that a controlled initiation of an infectious response may be a critical event for the regeneration of normal CNS functions in the leech.
Here are reviewed and discussed data explaining how the leech nerve cord sensu stricto i. Evidence for sequential decision making in the medicinal leech. Decision making can be a complex task involving a sequence of subdecisions. For example, we decide to pursue a goal e. In characterizing the effects of stimulating individual brain neurons in the isolated nervous system of the leech Hirudo medicinalis, we have found evidence that leeches also make decisions sequentially. In this study, we describe a pair of interneurons that elicited locomotory motor programs, either swimming or crawling, in isolated nerve cords.
In semi-intact animals, stimulating the same neurons also produced either swimming or crawling, and which behavior was produced could be controlled experimentally by manipulating the depth of saline around the intact part of the leech. These same neurons were excited and fired strongly when swimming or crawling occurred spontaneously or in response to mechanosensory stimulation. We conclude that these brain interneurons help to decide on locomotion i. However, some organisms are capable of surviving extreme variations in environmental conditions.
In the case of temperature, the ability to survive subzero temperatures is referred to as cryobiosis. We show that the ozobranchid leech , Ozobranchus jantseanus, a parasite of freshwater turtles, has a surprisingly high tolerance to freezing and thawing.
This finding is particularly interesting because the leach can survive these temperatures without any acclimation period or pretreatment. The results demonstrated that the novel cryotolerance mechanisms employed by O. We anticipate that the mechanism for the observed tolerance to freezing and thawing in O. Characterization of shed medicinal leech mucus reveals a diverse microbiota. Microbial transmission through mucosal-mediated mechanisms is widespread throughout the animal kingdom.
One example of this occurs with Hirudo verbana, the medicinal leech , where host attraction to shed conspecific mucus facilitates horizontal transmission of a predominant gut symbiont, the Gammaproteobacterium Aeromonas veronii. However, whether this mucus may harbor other bacteria has not been examined. Here, we characterize the microbiota of shed leech mucus through Illumina deep sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene.
Phylogenetic analyses of full-length 16S rRNA sequences were performed to examine microbial taxonomic distribution. Analyses using both technologies indicate the dominance of the Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria phyla within the mucus microbiota. We determined the presence of other previously described leech symbionts, in addition to a number of putative novel leech -associated bacteria.
A second predominant gut symbiont, the Rikenella-like bacteria, was also identified within mucus and exhibited similar population dynamics to A. Interestingly, the most abundant bacterial genus belonged to Pedobacter, which includes members capable of producing heparinase, an enzyme that degrades the anticoagulant, heparin. Additionally, bacteria associated with denitrification and sulfate cycling were observed, indicating an abundance of these anions within mucus, likely originating from the leech excretory system.
A diverse microbiota harbored within shed mucus has significant potential implications for the evolution of microbiomes, including opportunities for gene transfer and utility in host capture of a diverse group of symbionts. Structural characterization of a novel neuropeptide from the central nervous system of the leech Erpobdella octoculata. The leech osmoregulator factor. Purification of a material immunoreactive to an antiserum against the C-terminal part of the oxytocin Pro-Leu-Gly-amide and present in the central nervous system of the Pharyngobdellid leech Erpobdella octoculata was performed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography combined with both enzyme-linked immunosorbent and dot immunobinding assays for oxytocin.
The amino acid sequence of the purified peptide Ile-Pro-Glu-Pro-Tyr-Val-Trp-Asp was established by Edman degradation and confirmed by electrospray mass spectrometry measurement. When injected in leeches , purified or synthetic peptides exert an anti-diuretic effect, the most effective ranged between 10 pmol and 1 nmol. They provoked an uptake of water h post-injection. Immunocytochemical studies with an antiserum against synthetic oxytocin-like molecule provided the cytological basis for existence of a neuropeptide, since large amounts of immunoreactive neurons were detected in the central nervous systems of E.
It was named the leech osmoregulator factor LORF. An identification of the proteins immunoreactive to an antiserum against oxytocin performed at the level of both central nervous systems extracts and in vitro central nervous system-translated RNA products indicated that in the two cases, a single protein was detected. These proteins with a molecular masses of, respectively, approximately 34 kDa homodimer of 17 kDa for the central nervous systems extracts and approximately 19 kDa for in vitro central nervous system-translated RNA products were not recognized by the antiserum against MSEL- and VLDV-neurophysin proteins associated to oxytocin and vasopressin.
Glossiphoniidae from White Crappie, Pomoxis annularis Perciformes: Centrarchidae , in Arkansas, USA. Leeches were removed from within the oeprculum on gills and gill arches. Serotonin delays habituation of leech swim response to touch. Serotonin, acting through a cAMP-signaling pathway, delayed habituation to criterion of the leech 's swim response to touch. This delay was reversed by crushing the connective between serotonin-exposed and serotonin-naive ganglia, and correlated with an increase in spontaneous impulse activity in this connective.
We suggest that increased activity in intersegmental interneurons may play a role in maintaining swim responsiveness when concentrations of serotonin are elevated. Medical leech therapy has enjoyed a renaissance in the world of reconstructive microsurgery during recent years. Especially venous congestion is decreased using hirudo medicinalis application such as following replantation of amputated fingers or congested flaps.
They provide a temporary relief to venous engorgement whilst venous drainage is re-established. Living in symbiosis with Aeromonas hydrophila, who can digest the sixfold blood meal related to their body weight, and a broad number of anticoagulant agents such as the thrombin inhibitor hirudin, apyrase as well as collagenase, hyaluronidase, Factor Xa inhibitor and fibrinase I and II, leeches decrease venous congestion.
Laser Doppler flowmetry could demonstrate a significant increase in superficial skin perfusion following leech application 16 mm around the biting zone. Following the initial blood meal accounting for about 2. Infection associated with leech therapy is a documented complication of leech application, with reported incidences ranging from 2. Anemia is a second adverse effect during medicinal leech application which has to be taken account with repetitive blood samples. Besides the successful applications of leeches in various applications in plastic and reconstructive microsurgery, randomized-controlled trials are pending to elucidate the value of hirudo medicinalis according to evidence-based criteria above from case series and case studies.
On exploration of geometrically constrained space by medicinal leeches Hirudo verbana. Leeches are fascinating creatures: Leeches could be ideal blue-prints for designing flexible soft robots which are modular, multi-functional, fault-tolerant, easy to control, capable for navigating using optical, mechanical and chemical sensorial inputs, have autonomous inter-segmental coordination and adaptive decision-making. With future designs of leech -robots in mind we study how leeches behave in geometrically constrained spaces.
Core results of the paper deal with leeches exploring a row of rooms arranged along a narrow corridor. In laboratory experiments we find that rooms closer to ends of the corridor are explored by leeches more often than rooms in the middle of the corridor. Also, in series of scoping experiments, we evaluate leeches capabilities to navigating in mazes towards sources of vibration and chemo-attraction. We believe our results lay foundation for future developments of robots mimicking behaviour of leeches.
An Array of Opportunities: Rather than power LLTC's facilities, a kilowatt solar garden installed on the college's campus during the fall semester, along with four similar…. Exploring the use of the medicinal leech: The medicinal leech , Hirudo medicinalis, has been used with increasing frequency for salvage of compromised pedicled flaps and microvascular free-tissue transfers.
The data pertaining to 18 cases in which flap salvage with leeches was attempted were reviewed and contrasted with the data from published cases from other centers. A further analysis isolated and examined 19 cases in which infection, secondary to leech utilization, supervened. Results suggested that successful salvage of tissue with leeches occurs in 70 to 80 percent of cases.
In contrast, the infection rate of most series is between 7 and 20 percent and, when a clinically significant infection occurs, the flap salvage rate drops to 30 percent or less.
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In addition to infection, the risks of leech therapy include blood loss, which may require replacement transfusion, loss of leeches into body orifices and spaces, allergic reactions, and adverse psychological responses. Clinical indications and contraindications, and strategies to reduce the risks of leech usage, are discussed. Conclusions are that leeches are best used early, and in accordance with an accepted institutional protocol.
For each case, the potential risks and benefits must be rigorously assessed and honestly applied. Diverse molecular data demonstrate that commercially available medicinal leeches are not Hirudo medicinalis. The European medicinal leech is one of vanishingly few animal species with direct application in modern medicine. In addition to the therapeutic potential held by many protease inhibitors purified from leech saliva, and notwithstanding the historical association with quackery, Hirudo medicinalis has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a prescription medical device.
Accurate annotation of bioactive compounds relies on precise species determination. Interpretations of developmental and neurophysiological characteristics also presuppose uniformity within a model species used in laboratory settings. Here, we show, with mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellites, that there are at least three species of European medicinal leech , and that leeches marketed as H. Beyond the obvious need for reconsideration of decades of biomedical research on this widely used model organism, these findings impact regulatory statutes and raise concerns for the conservation status of European medicinal leeches.
Determining the appropriate number and duration of leech therapy in congested tissues using tissue spectrophotometry and laser Doppler flowmetry. A universal protocol determining the number of leeches and their application time does not exist. The aim of this study, therefore, is to quantify perfusion dynamics in venous congested tissues after leech application to get more detailed information about changes due to leech -induced skin microcirculation and to evaluate the usability of the Oxygen to See O2C device in terms of determining the appropriate number of leeches and the duration of therapy.
Twelve patients with the need for leech therapy participated in the study. Perfusion dynamics of the congested tissue was assessed using the O2C device, which determines blood flow BF , the relative amount of hemoglobin rHB , and the oxygen saturation SO2. Measurements were carried out before leech application and on various intervals like 10 minutes, one hour, and three hours after leech application. After three hours, the values returned to the levels before leech administration. In two cases, in which further administration of leeches within the measurement period was necessary, no substantial perfusion changes were obtained.
The results of this study forms a more precise pattern of microcirculatory changes of leech therapy in congested tissues. According to our measurements a venous drainage improvement can be expected in congested tissue one hour after leech administration. The O2C seems to be a useful method to determine the appropriate number and duration of leech therapy. An Unusual Cause of Dysphagia: Live Leech in the Tongue Base. Inhaled or ingested foreign bodies are relatively common causes of airway obstructions.
They can be associated with significant morbidity and even mortality. Although various foreign bodies are aspirated or ingested, live leeches are rarely encountered. We reported a case of a live leech at the base of the tongue in an year-old female patient with a history of unfiltered spring water drinking. We discussed the surgical technique and importance of anesthesia with this brief study.
Cleft lip surgery in Anglo-Saxon Britain: The original Anglo-Saxon text is presented together with transcriptions into more modern English. The general value of the Leech Book is briefly studied. Electronic neuron within a ganglion of a leech Hirudo medicinalis. We report the construction of an electronic device that models and replaces a neuron in a midbody ganglion of the leech Hirudo medicinalis.
In order to test the behavior of our device, we used a well-characterized synaptic interaction between the mechanosensory, sensitive to pressure, P cell and the anteropagoda because of the action potential shape AP neuron. We alternatively stimulated a P neuron and our device connected to the AP neuron, and studied the response of the latter. The number and timing of the AP spikes were the same when the electronic parameters were properly adjusted.
Moreover, after changes in the depolarization of the AP cell, the responses under the stimulation of both the biological neuron and the electronic device vary in a similar manner. Gut bacterium of Dendrobaena veneta Annelida: Oligochaeta possesses antimycobacterial activity.
The new bacterial strain with antimycobacterial activity has been isolated from the midgut of Dendrobaena veneta Annelida. The bacterium is a possible symbiont of the earthworm D. The isolated microorganism has shown the activity against four strains of fast-growing mycobacteria: Mycobacterium butiricum, Mycobacterium jucho, Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium phlei. The multiplication of the gut bacterium on plates with Sauton medium containing mycobacteria has caused a lytic effect.
After the incubation of the cell free extract prepared from the gut bacterium with four strains of mycobacteria in liquid Sauton medium, the cells of all tested strains were deformed and divided to small oval forms and sometimes created long filaments. The effect was observed by the use of light, transmission and scanning microscopy. Viability of all examined species of mycobacteria was significantly decreased. The antimycobacterial effect was probably the result of the antibiotic action produced by the gut bacterium of the earthworm. The application of ultrafiltration procedure allowed to demonstrate that antimicrobial substance with strong antimycobacterial activity from bacterial culture supernatant, is a protein with the molecular mass above kDa.
Copyright Elsevier Inc. Revision of the genus Hydroides Annelida: Hydroides Gunnerus, is the largest and one of the economically most important genera of calcareous tubeworms Serpulidae, Annelida that includes a number of notorious fouling and bioinvading species. Although the representatives of the genus are typically found in shallow waters of tropical and subtropical areas worldwide, the species composition of the genus in Australia has never been revised.
In total, 25 species are currently considered valid in Australia, including three new species: We have synonymised H. The status of the taxon H. An identification key and diagnoses accompanied by original high-quality photographs for all species recorded in Australia are provided.
Application of molecular genetics is needed to resolve the status of some problematic species. This study was carried out to determine the effects of methanolic extracts of Allium sativum L. In this experimental study in September , a number of leeches 70 in total from the southern area of Ilam province were prepared, and the effects of methanolic extract of A. The average time of paralysis and death of L. In this research, the attraction time of the leeches ' death among different treatments is significant.
However, its role in pathogen transmission is not fully understood. Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia is an emerging disease in the Great Lakes Basin that is deadly to the fish population, yet little is known about its mode of transmission. To assess the potential role of M. Clair and Lake Erie and pooled into samples of five.
Cell culture and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR were used to determine the presence of the virus and its identity. Two representative virus isolates were sequenced for further genetic confirmation and genotype classification. VHSV detected within M. Compromised breast flap treated with leech therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, pentoxifylline and topical nitroglycerin: Hyperbaric oxygen HBO2 is often indicated in compromised surgical flaps. Although limited to animal models and human case reports, the utilization of leech therapy Hirudo medicinalis with HBO2 provides better outcomes than each modality alone.
Topical nitroglycerin and pentoxifylline are also frequently used adjunctively for compromised flaps.
We present a case of successful breast flap salvage utilizing a combination of leech therapy, HBO2, topical nitroglycerin and pentoxifylline. A year-old female, one day post-status cosmetic breast reduction mammoplasty developed a dusky discoloration of the left nipple areolar complex, indicating imminent flap failure. The patient was immediately treated with topical nitroglycerin, oral pentoxifylline, and referred for HBO2. After her first HBO2 treatment, there was clinical improvement to the superior portion of the areolar flap, with little improvement inferiorly where the discoloration had remained essentially unchanged.
To address this, we added leech therapy and discontinued the topical nitroglycerin. Ceftriaxone for Aeromonas prophylaxis was started, and leeches were attached two at a time and removed from the area once feeding had ceased. These were applied three times per day for three days while receiving HBO2 twice per day for six days.
The patient's flap improved and completely healed by Week 8 without need for further surgery. This is the first case to our knowledge of successful breast flap salvage using a combination of leech therapy, HBO2, topical nitroglycerin and pentoxifylline. Isolation of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus from a leech Piscicola salmositica and a copepod Salmincola sp. Infectious haematopoietic necrosis IHN virus was isolated from freshwater leeches Piscicola salmositica and copepods Salmincola sp.
This is the first report of the isolation of IHN virus from an animal other than salmonid fishes. High levels of IHN virus were also found in leeches taken from the bottom gravel of the spawning area. The level of virus in leeches removed from fish gills was sometimes higher than the level of virus in the gill tissue itself. Virus persisted for at least 16 d in leeches held in the laboratory without feeding.
Transmission of IHN virus by leeches probably increases the infection rate of spawning sockeye salmon. The two paired giant ganglion cells PGC's found in each ganglion of the leech central nervous system fire synchronously in response to certain sensory input. Polarizing current passed into either of these cells is seen to displace the membrane potentials of both cells, the voltage attenuation between the two somata ranging from 2 to 5 times. This attenuation factor remains unchanged when the direction of the polarizing current is reversed, and remains about the same when the other cell of the pair is directly polarized.
When one of the PGC's is partially depolarized with outward current, a repetitive train of impulses is generated. Each spike is followed by a spike in the other cell. Occasionally, a small subspike potential is seen in place of a follower spike. This potential appears to differ in shape and time course from synaptic potentials elicited by afferent input to these cells, and appears rather to be an electrotonic potential derived from the prejunctional impulse in the stimulated PGC.
It is proposed that transmission between these cells is electrical, being accomplished by a flow of local circuit current across a non-rectifying junction or connection to the spike-initiating region of the other PGC. Transmitter-induced glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in leech segmental ganglia. The utilization and control of glycogen stores were studied in the isolated segmental ganglia of the horse leech , Haemopis sanguisuga.
The glycogen in the ganglia was extracted and assayed fluorimetrically and its cellular localization and turnover studied by autoradiography in conjunction with [3H] glucose. The glycogen levels were measured after incubation with different neurotransmitters for 60 min at 28 degrees C. The results for each experimental ganglion were compared to a paired control ganglion, and the results analysed by paired t-tests. Several transmitter substances 5-HT, octopamine, dopamine, noradrenaline, histamine produced reductions in glycogen glycogenolysis ; other transmitters glutamate, GABA produced increases in glycogen gluconeogenesis ; others adenosine, glycine produced reductions or increases, depending on concentration.
Acetylcholine had no effect on the glycogen levels. Most of the glycogen in the ganglia is localized in the packet glial cells, which surround the neuron perikarya. Autoradiographic analysis demonstrated that the effects of histamine and dopamine were principally on the glycogen in the glial cells. Adenylate cyclase was demonstrated by electron microscope histochemistry to be localized on the plasma membranes of the glial cells, and to a lesser extent on the neuronal membranes. It is concluded that the changes in glycogen in the glial cells may be party controlled by transmitters via adenylate cyclase.
This may provide a sensitive mechanism for coupling neuronal activity with energy metabolism. Considering an Active Leech River Fault. The 60km transpressional reverse fault zone runs east to west along the southern tip of Vancouver Island, dividing the lithologic units of Jurassic-Cretaceous Leech River Complex schists to the north and Eocene Metchosin Formation basalts to the south.
This fault system poses a considerable hazard due to its proximity to Victoria and 3 major hydroelectric dams. However, recent paleoseismic evidence suggests there to be at least 2 surface-rupturing events to have exceeded a moment magnitude M of 6. An active Leech River fault zone is then added; known length and dip. We are determining magnitude recurrence parameters based on a Gutenberg-Richter relationship for the Leech River fault from various catalogues of the recorded seismicity M within the fault's vicinity and the proposed paleoseismic events.
We seek to understand whether inclusion of an active Leech River fault source will significantly increase the probabilistic seismic hazard for Victoria. Quaternary rupture of a crustal fault beneath Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. GSA Today, 27, doi: Genetic assessment of leech species from yak Bos grunniens in the tract of Northeast India. Yak is an iconic symbol of Tibet and high altitudes of Northeast India. It is highly cherished for milk, meat, and skin. However, yaks suffer drastic change in milk production, weight loss, etc, when infested by parasites.
Among them, infestation by leeches is a serious problem in the Himalayan belt of Northeast India. The parasite feeds on blood externally or from body orifices, like nasopharynx, oral, rectum, etc. But there has been limited data about the leech species infesting the yak in that region because of the difficulties in morphological identification due to plasticity of the body, changes in shape, and surface structure and thus, warrants for the molecular characterization of leech.
In anticipation, this study would be influential in proper identification of leech species infesting yak track and also helpful in inventorying of leech species in Northeast India. Here, we investigated, through combined approach of molecular markers and morphological parameters for the identification of leech species infesting yak. The generated sequences were subjected to similarity match in global database and analyzed further through Neighbour-Joining, K2P distance based as well as ML approach. Among the three markers, only COI was successful in delineating species whereas the 18S and 28S failed to delineate the species.
Our study confirmed the presence of the species from genus Hirudinaria, Haemadipsa, Whitmania, and one species Myxobdella annandalae, which has not been previously reported from this region. The efficacy of medicinal leeches in plastic and reconstructive surgery: Although there are numerous case reports and small case series describing the experiences of leech therapy in various circumstances, there are relatively few large studies evaluating the effectiveness of leeching to relieve venous congestion.
The therapeutic value of leeching is illustrated by these reports but the current literature lacks a cohesive summary of previous experiences. An electronic search of PubMed, the Cochrane library and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination between and was used to retrieve human studies published in the English language evaluating outcomes following leech therapy. The "success" and "failure" of leech therapy were the primary outcome measures and secondary outcomes included complications, number of leeches used, pharmacological adjuncts and blood transfusion requirements.
In total, out of articles, articles met the exclusion criteria.
The 67 included papers reported on cases of leech use with an age range of years and a male to female ratio of almost 2: The overall reported "success" rate following leech therapy was In terms of secondary outcome measures, The overall complication rate was In the absence of robust randomized controlled trials on which the evidence may be based, this synthesis of current best evidence guides clinicians during the process of consenting patients and using leeches in their practice. Many postoperative complications have been reported after repair of classic bladder exstrophy.
We present a case of medicinal leech therapy for glans penis congestion following exstrophy repair in an infant. A 2-week-old male with classic bladder exstrophy underwent complete primary repair. On postoperative day 1, he developed rapidly worsening glans penis venous congestion.
After 24 hours, venous congestion improved and therapy was discontinued. The patient's remaining hospital course was uncomplicated. Medicinal leeches are an effective therapy to relieve glans penis venous congestion. Isolation and characterization of a leech neuropeptide in rat brains: Given the fact that certain peptides can be found in mammals and invertebrates, e. This peptide was found and isolated by successive reversed-phase HPLC purification steps and characterized by electrospray mass spectrometry measurement.
The study demonstrates that LORF, and its function in relation to NO release, has been conserved over more than million years of evolution. High contrast imaging at the LBT: This survey benefits from the many technological achievements of the LBT, including two 8. LEECH 's contrast is competitive with other extreme adaptive optics systems, while providing an alternative survey strategy.
Draft Genome Sequence of Pedobacter sp. Hv1 strain was isolated from the medicinal leech , Hirudo verbana, mucosal castings. These mucosal sheds have been demonstrated to play a role in horizontal symbiont transmission. Here, we report the draft 4. Oligobdella biannulata Moore, is a rare, endemic leech species originally described from a mountain stream near Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The Physiology and Mechanics of Undulatory Swimming: The medicinal leech is a useful animal model for investigating undulatory swimming in the classroom. Unlike many swimming organisms, its swimming performance can be quantified without specialized equipment.
A large blood meal alters swimming behavior in a way that can be used to generate a discussion of the hydrodynamics of swimming, muscle…. The use of dendrograms to describe the electrical activity of motoneurons underlying behaviors in leeches. The present manuscript aims at identifying patterns of electrical activity recorded from neurons of the leech nervous system, characterizing specific behaviors.
When leeches are at rest, the electrical activity of neurons and motoneurons is poorly correlated. When the head or tail suckers detach, specific patterns of electrical activity are detected. During elongation and contraction the electrical activity of motoneurons in the Medial Anterior and Dorsal Posterior nerves increase, respectively, and several motoneurons are activated both during elongation and contraction. During crawling, swimming, and pseudo-swimming patterns of electrical activity are better described by the dendrograms of cross-correlations of motoneurons pairs.
Dendrograms obtained from different animals exhibiting the same behavior are similar and by averaging these dendrograms we obtained a template underlying a given behavior. By using this template, the corresponding behavior is reliably identified from the recorded electrical activity. The analysis of dendrograms during different leech behavior reveals the fine orchestration of motoneurons firing specific to each stereotyped behavior.
Therefore, dendrograms capture the subtle changes in the correlation pattern of neuronal networks when they become involved in different tasks or functions. Land Leeches of the g. Conditions Essential to Laboratory Colonization. Engorged haemadipsid leeches exhibit such obvious distension of their body that some observers have compared their appearance to Phylogeny of Annelida Lophotrochozoa: Background Annelida is one of the major protostome phyla, whose deep phylogeny is very poorly understood.
Recent molecular phylogenies show that Annelida may include groups once considered separate phyla Pogonophora, Echiurida, and Sipunculida and that Clitellata are derived polychaetes. SThe "total-evidence" analyses combining morphological and molecular characters have been published for a few annelid taxa. No attempt has yet been made to analyse simultaneously morphological and molecular information concerning the Annelida as a whole. The analysis of the combined dataset yields the following scheme of relationships: Phyllodocida and Eunicida are monophyletic groups, together probably forming monophyletic Aciculata incl.
Orbiniidae and Parergodrilidae that form a sister group of the Eunicida. The traditional "Scolecida" and "Canalipalpata" are both polyphyletic, forming instead two clades: Sternaspis, Sabellidae-Serpulidae, Sabellariidae, Spionida s. The Clitellata and "clitellate-like polychaetes" Aeolosomatidae, Potamodrilidae, Hrabeiella form a monophyletic group. Conclusion The combined "total-evidence" phylogenetic analysis. To investigate the seismic evidence of the subsurface structures of these minor faults and of possible hidden active structures in this area, precise earthquake locations are required.
A total of out of the events satisfy the above relocation criteria. Velocity model used is a 1-D model extracted from the Ramachandran et al. Average relative location errors estimated by the bootstrap method are We select 5 clusters visually according to their epicenters see figure. Clusters 2 and 3 are bounded by two faults: FID 75, a northeast dipping thrust marking the southwestern boundary of the Wrangellia terrane, and FID 2 marking the northern boundary.
Clusters 4 and 5, to the northeast and northwest of Victoria respectively, however, do not represent the surface traces of any mapped faults.
Review ARTICLE
The depth profile of Cluster 5 depicts a hidden northeast. Morphological and molecular characterization of a marine fish trypanosome from South Africa, including its development in a leech vector. Trypanosomes are ubiquitous blood parasites of marine and freshwater fishes, typically transmitted by aquatic leeches. Phylogenetic studies have been dominated by examples derived from freshwater fishes, with few marine representatives. Furthermore, life cycle studies on marine fish trypanosomes have focused on those of the northern hemisphere.
In this investigation, we have examined the life cycle and molecular taxonomy of a marine fish trypanosome from South Africa. To locate trypanosome stages, leeches were removed from fishes captured on the west and south coasts of South Africa, and fish blood films and leech squashes were Giemsa-stained and screened; leeches were also examined histologically.
To determine whether trypanosome stages in fishes and leeches were of the same genotype, DNA was extracted from Giemsa-stained fish blood films and leech squashes, and from fish whole blood. Resulting sequence data were compared with each other and with published trypanosome 18S rDNA sequences, and used for phylogenetic analysis. Trypanosomes were detected in blood films from fishes of the families Clinidae, Blenniidae and Gobiidae. The flagellates ranged in size and staining properties within the films and across fish hosts.