Characterization of the digestive-tract microbiota of Hirudo orientalis, a european medicinal leech

This study characterized the digestive-tract microbiota of the medicinal leech Hirudo orientalis using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, culturing two Aeromonas species (A. veronii and A. jandaei) and identifying uncultured Rikenella-like bacteria most similar to isolates from H. verbana. The abstract notes that FDA-approved postoperative leech use can lead to bacterial infections, directly connecting the work to hirudotherapy safety. For ASH, this study is relevant because understanding the microbiota of medicinal leeches informs infection risk associated with leech therapy, particularly regarding Aeromonas species. The abstract is brief and provides limited detail on clinical implications; it does not report infection rates, clinical outcomes, or mitigation strategies, and characterization of microbiota composition appears to be the primary scope rather than therapeutic evaluation.