Species Identification of Medicinal Leeches — Molecular Taxonomy

Molecular phylogenetic study resolving the Hirudo medicinalis species complex using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Demonstrated that what was historically considered a single species actually comprises multiple cryptic species with distinct geographic distributions, including H. verbana and H. orientalis.

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More peer-reviewed studies in Genomics & Proteomics.

• 434 Salivary Proteins — Integrated Proteomics of Hirudo medicinalis — Liu et al. (2019)
• Medicinal Leech Genome Assembly — Anticoagulant Gene Catalog — Kvist et al. (2020)
• Draft Genome of Hirudo medicinalis — BMC Genomics — Kvist S et al. (2020)
• Comparative Transcriptomics of Three Hirudo Species — Babenko VV et al. (2020)
• Effects of hirudotherapy on liver functions, lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity in rats with metabolic syndrome — Bilden A et al. (2026)
• Efficacy and Safety of Hirudotherapy for Improving Sperm Quality Parameters in Male Infertility: A Randomized Controlled Trial — Abtahi-Forooshani M et al. (2026)
• Hirudotherapy in Wound Healing — Nair H et al. (2022)
• [Medicinal leeches and hirudotherapy] — Gödekmerdan A et al. (2011)
• [Cutaneous pseudolymphoma after hirudotherapy : Case report and review] — Hanner S et al. (2022)
• HIRUDOTHERAPY IN PRESBYACUZIS PRAECOX IN CLEAN-UP WORKERS AFTER THE CHORNOBYL ACCIDENT DURING THE POST-CATASTROPHE YEARS — Zabolotnyi D, Mishchanchuk N (2019)