The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of leeches of the genus Erpobdella as a means of assessing polychlorinated biphenyl contamination of watercourses. The River Skalice, heavily contaminated with PCBs, was selected as a model. The source of contamination was a road gravel processing factory in Rožmitál pod Třemšínem from which an estimated 1 metric ton of PCBs leaked in 1986. Levels of...

The salivary complex of leeches contains many components able to modulate physiological mechanisms, such as coagulation and fibrinolysis, and it is composed by the salivary glands and proboscis, encompassing two different proteomes. The bidimensional electrophoretic pattern of the salivary complex from the Haementeria depressa leech revealed a total of 352 spots, 103 in common with the muscular...

BACKGROUND Leeches have been used clinically to help salvage venous-congested skin flaps since 1960. Numerous articles have described their success in benefitting the survival of local, regional, and free flaps. However, the clinical application remains imprecise. The theory behind leech therapy is that leech bites decrease venous congestion in compromised skin flaps. Venous congestion is detri...

Hungry leeches, Hirudo medicinalis, ingest blood meals averaging 890% of their mass in 29 min. Ingestion is terminated as a result of distension of the body: experimentally distending leeches as they feed causes an immediate cessation of ingestion and inhibits any subsequent biting behaviour; if distension is circumvented by various experimental procedures, leech ingestive periods are prolonged...

introduction: in the absence of microvascular replantation or in crash injury cases in which obtaining an acceptable function is not possible, amputation of the injured finger seems to be the best treatment modality. some studies recommended leech therapy for this kind of injury after vascular repair to decrease venous congestion. case presentation: in this case report, the authors presented a ...

The majority of studies on leeches are related to: internal and external morphology. Fewer molecular research projects focus on molecular studies and karyology. The latter are needed to explain the evolutionary and systematic issues. Karyotypes for 22 species of Hirudinida have hitherto been determined, including: 8 species belonging to the Glossiphoniidae family, 3 species of Piscicolidae, 7 o...

Although medicinal leeches have long been used as treatment for various ailments because of their potent anticoagulation factors, neither the full diversity of salivary components that inhibit coagulation, nor the evolutionary selection acting on them has been thoroughly investigated. Here, we constructed expressed sequence tag libraries from salivary glands of two species of medicinal hirudino...

Leeches are prevalent in the Australian Rainforest. We report two cases of leech bites resulting in pruritis and palpable purpura. The dermatologic sequelae of leech bites, differential diagnosis of pruritic palpable purpura, leech bite treatment, prevention, and complications are reviewed.