Microbiota Dynamics: A Key Factor in Hirudotherapy-Related Infections?

Study Profile

Design

experimental microbiology study using 16S rRNA V3-V4 region amplicon sequencing on the Illumina NovaSeq platform to characterize the gastrointestinal microbiota of three medicinal leech groups: long-fasting farmed leeches, recently fed farmed leeches (bovine blood), and wild specimens fed amphibian blood (Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, Turkiye; Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel; International Cyprus University)

Sample size (n)

0

Intervention

Comparative 16S rRNA metasequencing of leech mouth, pharynx, crop, and intestinal microbiota across the three leech groups; identification of environmental versus symbiotic/probiotic bacterial families and opportunistic pathogens with implications for hirudotherapy infection risk

Comparator

Within-study comparison of microbiota composition across the three leech groups; no clinical patient outcomes as comparator

Primary endpoint

Identification of bacterial families, symbiotic/probiotic populations, and opportunistic pathogens in the medicinal leech digestive tract that could pose hirudotherapy-related infection risk

Primary result

Significant microbiota differences were found across leech groups and across digestive system regions; environmental bacteria were present in all groups to varying degrees; first-time identification of certain opportunistic pathogens in the studied leech species; authors concluded that extensive screening for opportunistic pathogens should be performed on leeches intended for medical use and that long-fasting leeches from specialized farms are recommended for hirudotherapy

Follow-up duration

not applicable - cross-sectional microbiology characterization

PMID

40284753