Possible detection of physiological state disorders with the help of medicinal leeches Hirudo verbana
Diagnostic application published in Annals of Parasitology (2023)
Abstract
In the experiment, 160 medicinal leeches of the species Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820 were studied. Medicinal leeches were fed on the blood of animals and people (conditionally healthy and diseased). Four leeches were taken from each animal/person. The animals were studied for 3 weeks. Mortality was mostly observed in the first days after feeding on the blood of the host. We noted mortality, the appearance of constrictions on the leeches' body, the intensity of the host blood spitting from their body. The host's blood was taken from their stomach on the first day after feeding. Hematological and immunological indicators of blood were determined in the taken blood of the host. As a result of the study of the blood of the sick, significant changes were found, compared to conditionally healthy ones. It was manifested by an increase in erythrocytes and leukocytes. The leukocyte formula looked like in most pathological conditions of the inflammatory process. The obtained indicators of the experiment make it possible to quickly assess the presence of physiological disorders in the early stages of the disease.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
Evaluates leech behavioral and feeding responses as biomarkers for detection of physiological state disorders in human patients.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este estudio examinó 160 sanguijuelas medicinales (Hirudo verbana) alimentadas con sangre de animales y humanos tanto condicionalmente sanos como enfermos, registrando la mortalidad, las constricciones corporales y la intensidad de la regurgitación de sangre del huésped. Se determinaron indicadores hematológicos e inmunológicos a partir de la sangre del huésped extraída del estómago de las sanguijuelas el primer día tras la alimentación, encontrándose cambios significativos en la sangre de huéspedes enfermos en comparación con los condicionalmente sanos, incluyendo un aumento de eritrocitos y leucocitos. El resumen señala que estos indicadores permiten evaluar rápidamente la presencia de alteraciones fisiológicas en etapas tempranas de la enfermedad. No obstante, el resumen no presenta datos cuantitativos comparativos entre los grupos de sanguijuelas ni aborda la validación de este enfoque como herramienta diagnóstica fiable.
Citación
Possible detection of physiological state disorders with the help of medicinal leeches Hirudo verbana.
Aminov R · Annals of parasitology, 2023
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 27, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: 18 de junio de 2026