Deformidades morfológicas y anatómicas de Hirudo verbana, Carena 1820 (Annelida, Hirudinea) tras la alimentación: análisis por microscopía óptica y electrónica

Leeches are widely used as model organisms in scientific studies and medical treatments. Medical leeches are hematophagous parasites that usually feed on the blood of their hosts. Some leeches show deformities, usually after feeding. This causes both medical and economic losses as it reduces the effectiveness of leeches in cultivation and medical treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of morphological deformations after feeding in Hirudo verbana, Carena 1820 (Annelida, Hirudinea), an important species in medical leech treatments. For this purpose, both histopathological and scanning electron microscopy examinations of starved and fed leeches were performed. The causes of deformities in medical leeches were found to be due to overfeeding, which caused cracks on the intestinal surface and therefore deterioration of the tissues. It is also thought that the immunological agents in the fed blood destroyed the medical leech tissue in these regions. In addition, it was determined that the cellular structure of the shaped blood elements stored in the cavity after feeding was preserved for a long time (months) without deterioration. It is certain that revealing the mechanism by which this occurs will inspire the preservation of blood for a long time in blood transfusion.

Resumen tomado de PubMed (NCBI) para el registro citado, en el idioma original. La versión de referencia es la de la publicación original.

El resumen se deja sin traducir para conservar la redacción original de los autores.

Mediante examen histopatológico y microscopía electrónica de barrido se compararon sanguijuelas de Hirudo verbana en ayunas y alimentadas. Las deformidades se debieron a la sobrealimentación, que causó fisuras en la superficie intestinal y deterioro tisular; se supone, además, que agentes inmunológicos de la sangre ingerida destruyeron tejido. La estructura celular de los elementos sanguíneos almacenados en la cavidad se mantuvo intacta durante meses. Esclarecer ese mecanismo inspirará, según los autores, la conservación prolongada de sangre para transfusiones.

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