First isolation of a giant virus from wild Hirudo medicinalis leech: Mimiviridae isolation in Hirudo medicinalis
Basic science / virology published in Viruses (2013)
Abstract
Giant viruses and amoebae are common in freshwater, where they can coexist with other living multicellular organisms. We screened leeches from the species Hirudo medicinalis for giant viruses. We analyzed five H. medicinalis obtained from Tunisia (3) and France (2). The leeches were decontaminated and then dissected to remove internal parts for co-culture with Acanthamoeba polyphaga. The genomes of isolated viruses were sequenced on a 454 Roche instrument, and a comparative genomics analysis was performed. One Mimivirus was isolated and the strain was named Hirudovirus. The genome assembly generated two scaffolds, which were 1,155,382 and 25,660 base pairs in length. Functional annotations were identified for 47% of the genes, which corresponds to 466 proteins. The presence of Mimividae in the same ecological niche as wild Hirudo may explain the presence of the mimivirus in the digestive tract of the leech, and several studies have already shown that viruses can persist in the digestive tracts of leeches fed contaminated blood. As leeches can be used medically and Mimiviruses have the potential to be an infectious agent in humans, patients treated with leeches should be surveyed to investigate a possible connection.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
First isolation of a Mimivirus (Hirudovirus) from wild Hirudo medicinalis leeches. Genome assembly produced 1.15 Mbp + 25.6 kbp scaffolds with 466 annotated proteins. Suggests surveillance of patients treated with leeches.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este estudio examinó cinco sanguijuelas Hirudo medicinalis —tres de Túnez y dos de Francia— en busca de virus gigantes mediante el cocultivo de tejidos internos con Acanthamoeba polyphaga, lo que permitió el aislamiento de una cepa de Mimivirus designada Hirudovirus con un ensamblaje del genoma de dos scaffolds (1.155.382 y 25.660 pares de bases) y 466 proteínas anotadas. Los autores señalan que los Mimiviridae comparten el nicho ecológico de agua dulce de las sanguijuelas, que los virus pueden persistir en los tractos digestivos de las sanguijuelas, y que —dado el potencial del Mimivirus como agente infeccioso humano— los pacientes tratados con sanguijuelas deberían ser vigilados para investigar una posible conexión. Para el ámbito de la ASH, esto plantea una consideración de bioseguridad relevante para la hirudoterapia. Advertencia: Se trata de un único aislamiento viral sin datos de infección clínica presentados, y la significación patogénica sigue siendo especulativa.
Citación
First isolation of a giant virus from wild Hirudo medicinalis leech: Mimiviridae isolation in Hirudo medicinalis.
Boughalmi M et al. · Viruses, 2013
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 27, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: 18 de junio de 2026