What kind of water are leeches found in? Medical leeches

– the mention of it causes unpleasant associations for many. And it's true appearance among leeches it is unattractive, one might even say repulsive. But this creation brings great benefits to humans, helping to get rid of many diseases.

Types of leeches

Medical leeches belong to the type of annelids, class belt worms, subclass of leeches, order of proboscis, family Hirudinidae (jawed leeches). Its name in Latin is Hirudo medicinalis. Medical view successfully used in the treatment of patients in Europe, Russia, and Ukraine. Asia, Africa, America use other types of leeches.

IN wildlife There are up to 500 varieties of leeches. With such a variety of bloodsuckers, only three main types are used in treatment:

Other types of leeches not only do not bring benefits, but can also cause harm to humans and animals.

Horse (Limnatis nilotica). Also known as Egyptian or Nile. Habitat: Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Mediterranean. This species cannot bite through the skin, so they stick to the mucous membranes. Can penetrate into the oral cavity. The animal, increasing in size while sucking blood, can cause suffocation in humans and lead to death.

Surveyor leech (Piscicola geometra). It has a large rear sucker, despite the fact that it itself measures no more than 5 cm in length. Feeds on the blood of fish. Having smelled a fish, it begins to move towards it and firmly attaches itself to it. Fish sometimes die due to loss of blood. Can cause harm to fisheries if leeches multiply in large numbers.

Common or false cone (Haemopis sanguisuga). This is a predatory species, reaching 10 cm in length. Lives in rivers, ditches, ponds, crawls ashore. It can swallow the victim whole, or bite off pieces. It attacks those animals that it can easily handle. Doesn't suck blood. Habitat: Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Belarus.

Eight-eyed (Herpobdella octoculata). Flat, about 6 cm long. Lives in reservoirs with stagnant water, survives even in very dirty environments. It feeds on both living and dead larvae of insects and small animals.

Pond (Helobdella stagnalis). The smallest representative. Grows no more than 1 cm. Distributed in almost all bodies of water. The main color is brown, but green is also found. Attaches to worms, larvae, snails.

Habitat

The wild animal is very common in Europe, but its numbers are constantly declining due to constant fishing. And also the decline of the species is facilitated by the drainage of swamps and the unfavorable ecological state of the water. Widely distributed in the north, all the way to Scandinavia, and in the south it is also found near Algeria.

Medical species most often live in Transcaucasia and Azerbaijan. But the distribution area of ​​pharmacies is Stavropol and Krasnodar Territory.

Animals can live perfectly well both in water and on land. They can only live in fresh water. Salty bodies of water are unsuitable for them. When moving from one habitat to another, they can cover quite long distances on hard surfaces.

They settle in ponds and reservoirs where the bottom is silted and reeds grow. However, the water must be clean. Gets along well with frogs. Favorite place The habitats of leeches are stones and driftwood. She hides under them, sometimes not fully protruding from the water.

What does it look like

The body of a medical leech is round in shape., slightly flattened, divided into 33 annular segments. In turn, each of the segments is divided into 3 or 5 parts. Each segment has a central ring in which the sensory papillae are located. They perform the function of a sensor. There are suction cups on the back and front. The anterior sucker functions as a mouth. The bloodsucker has 270 teeth. The rear sucker is much larger, since it is used to attach the leech to the surface.

The medical appearance is dark brown, almost black. The back is darker, with distinct stripes along it. The body is without setae and covered with cuticle. The bloodsucker sheds it periodically as the animal grows. As a rule, this happens once every 2–3 days.

The animal moves without any problems and quite quickly. Able to move both through water and on hard surfaces. The leech uses suction cups as a means of movement on the ground, and also helps itself by contracting its body. Once in the water, the animal makes oscillatory movements and swims in waves. She is so strong that with one end of her body she can stick to the surface and lift her body into a vertical position. This way she can search for what she needs.

How a leech works

The choice of the location of the bite remains with the leech. Having decided on the attachment site, it makes a bite no more than 2 mm deep and is saturated with blood. The total volume of blood sucked at one time does not exceed 15 ml. After the bloodsucker detaches, the wound will bleed for 4 to 20 hours. Everything will depend on the individual characteristics of the organism, as well as on how much enzyme the leech releases. It's called hirudin and prevents blood from clotting. There is no need to stop the blood, as this achieves a therapeutic effect.

From the moment the medicinal leech’s saliva penetrates the skin and enters the human blood, the therapeutic effect begins. Beneficial components are carried throughout the body through the bloodstream within 15–20 minutes.

A person does not feel how a leech sucks blood. A slight unpleasant feeling may occur when the skin is bitten. After this, the blood flows by gravity into the mouth, and then into the stomach of the bloodsucker. It doesn't curl up there. As the animal becomes saturated, it increases in size. When the limit of filling her stomach comes, it falls off on its own.

While waiting for food, leeches attach to the surface with two suckers. As soon as they sense that a potential victim is approaching, they begin to move towards it. Having reached the target, the leech attaches itself to the body with its rear end, and with its front end it looks for the most suitable place to bite. This will either be an area where the skin is thin or where the blood vessels are located closest to the surface.

Having attached itself, the leech does not let go of the victim until it is completely satiated. The animal may not eat for a long time. Therefore, the amount of blood drunk will depend on how long the bloodsucker was fasting. For example, if a leech has not received food for about six months, then it can take up to 1.5 hours to become saturated.

Leeches reproduce in nature once a year, when the animals reach sexual maturity. It occurs at the age of four. To breed offspring, leeches choose summer period. The mating process in leeches is called copulation. Mating occurs by entwining one individual with another, as if they are glued. Once fertilization has occurred, the female lays cocoons after mating. Usually their number does not exceed 5 pieces.

Leech embryos feed on the protein mass located inside the cocoon. The cocoon itself is covered on top with a dense protective shell. After about two weeks, small leeches hatch and can already drink blood. The number of babies ranges from 20 to 40 pieces.

Benefits of leeches

Medical leeches are successfully used in the treatment of many diseases. They can, if not completely cure, then significantly improve the patient’s condition. The use of leeches in complex treatment speeds up the patient’s recovery.

Treatment with medicinal leech is called hirudotherapy. The highest effect is achieved thanks to several actions of hirudotherapy:

• hirudin– a hormone that prevents blood clotting and thrombus formation;
• eglins – substances that prevent joint damage and cure existing diseases;
• hyaluronidase – an enzyme that promotes the fertilization process is used in the treatment of infertility.

Salivary secretion contains analgesic and antibacterial substances.

The main diseases for which the use of medicinal leech is indicated are.

For hirudotherapy, medicinal leeches grown artificially should be used. It is strictly forbidden to use leeches caught in open waters for treatment. Wild animals are carriers of dangerous diseases; diseases accumulate on their jaws when bitten by infected animals.

Contraindications to hirudotherapy

Despite the enormous benefits and positive results in the treatment of diseases with medicinal leeches, There are a number of contraindications:

• poor blood clotting;
• oncology;
• hemolysis;
• individual intolerance to enzymes;
• allergic reactions;
• anemia;
• tuberculosis of various forms.

Treatment with a medicinal leech will undoubtedly bring great benefits. However, hirudotherapy must be carried out by a qualified specialist so as not to harm the human body.

Names: medical leech, common leech.

Area: Central and Southern Europe, Asia Minor.

Description: medical leech - ringworm class of leeches. Breathing is cutaneous, there are no gills. The muscles are well developed (accounting for about 65% of the body volume). The outer covering is called the skin, which consists of a single layer of signet-like cells that form the epidermis. On the outside, the epidermal layer is covered with cuticle. The cuticle is transparent, performs a protective function and continuously grows, periodically being renewed during the molting process. Shedding occurs every 2-3 days. The shed skin resembles white flakes or small white covers. The body of the leech is elongated, but not whip-shaped, and consists of 102 rings. On the dorsal side the rings are covered with many small papillae. On the ventral side there are much fewer papillae and they are less noticeable. The head end is narrowed compared to the rear end. There are special suction cups on both ends of the body. The anterior sucker surrounding the mouth opening is the sucking circle. It is triangular in shape with three strong jaws, each of which has up to 60-90 chitinous teeth arranged in the form of a semicircular saw. Near the rear sucker there is an anus (powder). On the leech’s head there are ten small eyes arranged in a semicircle: six in front and four on the back of the head. With their help, a medicinal leech cuts through the skin to a depth of one and a half millimeters. The ducts of the salivary glands open at the edges of the jaws. Saliva contains hirudin, which prevents blood clotting. There are no kidneys. Two genital openings are located on the ventral side of the body, closer to the head end.

Color: Medical leech comes in black, dark gray, dark green, green, and red-brown colors. There are stripes on the back - red, light brown, yellow or black. The sides are green with a yellow or olive tint. The abdomen is motley: yellow or dark green with black spots.

Size: length 3-13 cm, body width up to 1 cm.

Lifespan: up to 20 years.

Habitat: fresh water bodies (ponds, lakes, quiet rivers) and damp places near water (clay, damp moss). Leeches love clean, running water.

Enemies: fish, muskrat.

Food/food: the medical leech feeds on the blood of mammals (humans and animals) and amphibians (including frogs), however, in the absence of animals, it eats the mucus of aquatic plants, ciliates, mollusks, and insect larvae living in water. It gently bites the skin and sucks out a small amount blood (up to 10-15 ml). It can live more than a year without food.

Behavior: if the reservoir dries up, the leech buries itself in the moist soil, where it waits out the drought. In winter it hibernates, hiding in the soil until spring. Does not withstand ground freezing. The characteristic pose of a hungry leech is that, having attached itself to a stone or plant with its rear sucker, it stretches its body forward and makes circular movements with its free end. Reacts quickly to many stimuli: splash, temperature and smell. When swimming, the leech greatly elongates and flattens, acquiring a ribbon-like shape and bending in a wave-like manner. The rear sucker in this case acts as a fin.

Reproduction: hermaphrodite. After fertilization, the leech crawls ashore, digs a small depression in the moist soil, in which it produces a foamy mass from the secretions of the oral glands. 10-30 eggs are laid in this depression, after which it returns to the water.

Breeding season/period: June-August.

Puberty: 2-3 years.

Incubation: 2 months.

Offspring: Newborn leeches are transparent and similar to adults. They spend some time inside their cocoons, feeding on nutrient fluid. Later they crawl into the water. Before reaching sexual maturity, young leeches feed on the blood of tadpoles, small fish, earthworms or snails. If after three years a leech has never drunk the blood of mammals, then it will never reach sexual maturity.

Benefit/harm for humans: The first information about the use of leeches for medical purposes dates back to Ancient Egypt. Medical leech is used for bloodletting for medicinal purposes. In modern medicine, leeches are used to treat thrombophlebitis, hypertension, pre-stroke conditions, etc. Leech saliva that enters the human body has unique healing properties - it contains more than 60 biologically active substances.

Literature:
1. Great Soviet Encyclopedia
2. Vladislav Sosnovsky. Magazine "In the Animal World" 4/2000
3. Jan Zhabinsky. "From the Life of Animals"
4. D.G.Zharov. "Secrets of hirudotherapy"
Compiled by: , copyright holder: Zooclub portal
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The medical leech (Hirudo medicinalis) feeds on blood. As soon as we remove them from the cocoons, we immediately begin the first feeding. Afterwards we maintain a certain period and temperature and feed again, up to a size of 1.5 -1.7 g. (the weight of an average leech), before it goes into sale, it fasts for more than 3 months. In a hungry state, she can live up to 6 months. During this time, she digests blood in her stomachs. There is no need to feed it with honey, sugar or anything like that.

In total, about 650 species of leeches are known; contrary to popular belief, not all leeches are bloodsuckers. In fact, many of them are carnivores and feed on various invertebrates, insects (midges, mosquitoes, larvae, water bugs), oligochaetes (aquatic earthworms), amphipods, and many various types shellfish, including pond snails and freshwater mollusks. These predatory leeches either swallow their prey whole or they are equipped with a proboscis that resembles hypodermic needles.

Leeches, especially some of their species, are sensitive to weather changes. The abilities of a “forecaster” are especially pronounced in the predatory large false horse leech. By the behavior of leeches you can understand whether there will be rain, hail or sunny weather. Leeches, it turns out, sense changes in atmospheric pressure. By placing leeches in an aquarium or glass jar of water and observing their behavior, you can use this kind of barometer to determine the weather. If the weather is clear, leeches are in the water and are surprisingly active. When atmospheric pressure drops, they try to get to land or, at least, stay closer to the surface of the water. As a rule, this indicates imminent rain or snowfall.

Leech class (Hirudinea)

Leeches... This word usually evokes an unpleasant feeling: the imagination pictures long, dark worms living in swampy ponds, attacking a person and sucking his blood. Many people know only one leech - a medical one, used in the treatment of certain diseases, often very serious ones. Meanwhile on globe There are about 400 species of leeches, their structure is varied, they live not only in swampy reservoirs, but also in rivers, lakes, mountain streams and even in seas and oceans. Bloodsucking leeches really make up the majority of this class of ringworm type, but they live off of different animals (representatives of all classes of vertebrates, soft-bodied animals, crustaceans, aquatic insects, worms, etc.), and not just mammals and humans. And very few people know that many types of leeches cannot suck blood, but belong to the class of predators that swallow small animals whole or in parts." True, predatory forms descended from blood-sucking ones and retained the main characteristics of their ancestors, but in terms of the nature of their diet they are radically different from them. As for leeches that suck the blood of mammals and humans, there are a fair number of them in the tropics, but in our country there are only two or three such species (out of 50 freshwater species) and they are distributed mainly in the southern regions.

Affiliation leeches To type of annelids there is no doubt. Their body is segmented, central nervous system consists of the head nodes, peripharyngeal cords and abdominal chain; in the skin-muscular sac there are the same basic elements as in other rings, the transfer of substances is carried out using the circulatory system, the excretory organs are metanephridia, the intestine is through, ending in the anus, muscular, abundantly supplied with blood vessels, etc. At the same time, leeches are characterized by many features that make it easy to distinguish them from other groups of the type.

Due to the need to attach to the body of other animals to suck blood, leeches developed two suckers (anterior, surrounding the mouth, and posterior), the body became more or less flattened. With one exception, there are no bristles, since these worms crawl using suckers. The number of segments, or somites, in contrast to other rings, is constant and in all species, with the exception of one, is 33, of which the last seven form the posterior sucker. The relatively small number of segments probably reduced the flexibility of the body, and leeches developed a very characteristic secondary ringing of the body: the somites are divided into a number of rings specific to each group of species. U medical and other jawed leeches have five rings in the somite, cochlear and the vast majority of species family of flat leeches- three, etc. Secondary ringing affects only the outer integument and does not extend to the internal organs. The central ring is considered to be the one that carries the node of the ventral nerve chain.

The digestive apparatus has undergone significant changes. All leeches except one ancient looking, are divisible by two squad: proboscis and jawless (proboscis). The former developed a muscular trunk in the front part of the digestive tube, while the latter developed jaws (usually three of them) lined with teeth. With the help of a trunk or jaws, blood-sucking species damage the skin or mucous membranes of their victims. In predatory jawed leeches, which swallow their prey whole, the jaws become smaller or even disappear completely. Behind the pharynx, which serves for sucking blood, and the short esophagus there is a stomach, the volume of which in blood-sucking species is greatly increased due to paired lateral processes. U predatory species the processes of the stomach completely or partially disappear. The absorption of food takes place in the intestine following the stomach, which in many leeches also has appendages. Feces are removed through the hindgut and the anus, which lies on the dorsal side, at the posterior sucker.

It is well known that after leech bites, wounds bleed for a long time. This is explained by the fact that a special protein substance gets into the wounds from the salivary glands that open into the oral cavity of leeches. hirudin(from the Greek word "girudo" - leech), which prevents blood clotting. If hirudin were not released, blood clots (thrombi) would quickly form and blood sucking would become impossible. Thanks to hirudin and other substances secreted salivary glands, blood remains in the stomach of leeches in a liquid state for months, without rotting.

All leeches are hermaphrodites (adult worms have both male and female reproductive organs) and reproduce only sexually. On the ventral side of these worms, above the middle part of the body, two genital openings are quite clearly visible: the anterior, larger one is male, the posterior one is female. The distance between these holes, measured by the number of rings, varies among different species and is important for identifying the types of leeches. Fertilization, i.e. the fusion of living cells and eggs, occurs inside the body. Semen is transmitted during sexual intercourse in two ways. In some species (including the medical one), it is introduced into the female genital opening with the help of a copulatory organ that looks like a thin thread, while in others, the living creatures are released in special sacs (spermatophores), which are attached to the skin of another leech in different places. Zhives, through wounds formed on the skin after the attachment of spermatophores, penetrate into the body, find mature eggs and fertilize them.

Fertilized eggs are released in cocoons, the structure of which will be described further. In sexually mature leeches, as in oligochaete worms, a “belt” is formed on the skin in the genital area, often clearly visible. The walls of the cocoons are formed from the secretions of the glands of the girdle. At the end of development, which usually lasts several weeks, small worms emerge from the cocoons, mostly similar to adults.

Leeches are common in all parts of the world. Each zoogeographic region is characterized by its own composition of species of these worms. There are very few species living in two or more areas. Sea leeches are divided into a number of groups, each of which is characteristic of a certain area of ​​the World Ocean and the adjacent seas. There are no leeches in the Black Sea at all, since its salinity (half the salinity of the ocean) is insufficient for real sea leeches and too high for species living in fresh and brackish waters.

Leeches have practical significance, both beneficial and harmful, which will be briefly discussed when describing individual species.

Subclass ancient leeches (Archihirudinea)

In the forties of the last century, the outstanding Russian naturalist A.F. Middendorf, while traveling along the Yenisei, collected peledi, or cheese(Coregonus peled - from whitefish, salmon family of fish ), strange worms that ate away at the soft parts dorsal fin. Already a superficial study of these worms, carried out by the famous zoologist E. Grube, showed that their organization surprisingly combines the characteristics of oligochaete worms and leeches. At the anterior end of their body there are bristles, which act as an anterior sucker (absent in these worms) and, together with an imperfect posterior sucker, serve to attach to the host’s body. Grube attributed the worms he described to the new genus Acanthobdella, which means “armed leech,” and gave the species name after the fish from which they were taken. Subsequently acanthobdella, or bristle leech, was studied in detail by the famous Russian zoologist N.A. Livanov, who found out that in internal structure It also exhibits a combination of signs of oligochaete worms and leeches, but the signs of the latter predominate, and Acanthobdella was classified as a special, lower group of the class of leeches. Now bristle leeches are distinguished into a special subclass of ancient leeches , the existence of which is a brilliant confirmation of evolutionary theory.

Subclass true leeches (Euhirudinea)

This subclass includes all types of leeches except the bristle one. Their anterior sucker is always well developed, there are no bristles; all the features that distinguish leeches from oligochaete worms are well expressed. The subclass is divided into two orders: order of proboscis And detachment of maxillae , or trunkless.

Order Proboscis leeches (Rhynchobdellae)

The name of the detachment speaks of main feature species included in it: they all have a trunk. It is very difficult to notice the trunk of a living leech; in killed worms it sometimes sticks out of the mouth. The order, in turn, is divided into two sharply different families: familyflat leeches And family of fish leeches .

Family Flat leeches , or Glossifonidae(Glossiphonidae). The Russian name for this family is not entirely apt, since a flattened body is generally characteristic of leeches. True, in glossiphonids (or, as they were previously called, klepsins), the flattening is especially pronounced, but there are exceptions here too. It would be more correct to call these leeches broad or leaf-shaped, because their body is relatively wide, tapering towards the ends. The sizes of glossiphonids are usually small (from a few millimeters to several centimeters). They don't swim. They suck the blood (and some species also liquefied tissue) of various animals - invertebrates and vertebrates.

All species of glossiphonids show care for their offspring. Leeches cover with their bodies the thin-walled, shapeless cocoons they lay, which contain many eggs. After hatching, young leeches attach to the mother’s belly and move with her. In case of danger, the mother leech stops moving, protecting the children with her body. Growing up, the juveniles begin to live independently, first temporarily, then completely.

The first glossiphonids, like ancient leeches, probably sucked the blood of fish. In our reservoirs there is a fairly mobile Hemiclepsis marginata, which is sometimes found on various fish. It is easily distinguished from other glossiphonids by its greatly expanded anterior end of the body, which helps it hold onto fast-moving hosts. Its length is up to 30 mm, the body color is greenish with an admixture of brown. She also readily sucks the blood of amphibians.

Hemiclepsis is especially numerous in the Amur basin. In this regard, it should be noted that it also lives in South Asia.

Within our country there are two species of Protoclepsis: widespread common bird leech(R. tessulata) (it is also known in Northern and South America) And spotted bird leech(P. maculosa), found in the northern half of Europe and northern Asia. The first one is mainly dangerous. Interesting features of the life of bird leeches, studied mainly in the second of them. The first time she sucks the blood of birds 1-1.5 months after leaving the cocoon, the second time - 20-30 days after the first feeding and the third time - 1.5-2 months after the second. 4-6 months after the third feeding, protoclepsis becomes sexually mature and reproduces. After laying cocoons, leeches can live for some time, but they no longer suck blood. Only those of them that for some reason did not lay cocoons can feed for the fourth time.

Common bird leech lays three to five cocoons. The total number of eggs laid varies widely: from 65 to 611. Juveniles can live on the mother’s body for up to two to three months.

Southern origin and glossiphonids belonging to the genus Batracobdella ("batrachos" in Greek - frog, "bdella" - leech). They suck the blood of amphibians. In Crimea it is found in large quantities small (usual length about 8 mm) greenish-brown leech with a pair of large eyes - B. algira. She spends almost her entire life on large frogs and leaves them only when the breeding season begins (cf. the turtle leech). It was first found in Algeria, which explains its specific name, and is distributed in northern Africa, Western Asia, and in Europe - on the Iberian Peninsula and the south of the Balkans. In our country, except for the Crimean peninsula, it has not been found anywhere. It is believed that Crimea was once connected to Asia Minor. It is possible that it was then that this interesting leech entered Crimea. Another species of the same genus - the four-eyed Batracobdella paludosa - also gravitates to the south of Europe, but goes quite far to the north (England, Poland, etc.) and is never found together with the first species. The main source of food for this leech is frogs and other amphibians, but it also sucks the blood of coils (from gastropods), which, like vertebrates, have red blood, i.e., it contains hemoglobin.

The most famous representative of glossiphonids in our fresh water bodies, after whose generic name the entire family is named, is the snail leech (Glossiphonia complanata). Its body, the length of which rarely exceeds 15-20 mm, is relatively very wide. The color is greenish-brown, very variable, sometimes very variegated. On the dorsal side there are three pairs of longitudinal rows of papillae, of which the middle ones are better developed than the others. An adult leech is extremely lazy and lies motionless for a lot of time, clinging to underwater objects and broad-leaved plants *. Due to its color and immobility, often covered with particles of silt, it is almost or completely invisible. Its main victims are predominantly pulmonary gastropods, soft-bodied animals (pond snails, etc.), which often die after its attack as a result of loss of blood and other juices or blockage of the respiratory opening. The leech's mastery of its victims is facilitated by the slowness of these mollusks.

* (If cochlear leeches are separated from the substrate, then they, like some other glossiphonids, curl up like hedgehogs.)

Snail leech lives for about two years. It reproduces twice: at the end of the first and second year of life. Lays up to 120 eggs, 20 in each cocoon. After the second laying of eggs, leeches usually die; only a few of them can reach the age of three. G, complanata also lives in North America.

Even more common in our reservoirs, especially in stagnant ones, is the small (usual length - 5-6 mm) grayish-white glossiphonid - Helobdella stagnalis. Its distinctive feature is a lens-shaped plate of yellow or brown, located on the back between the 12th and 13th rings. Therefore, in Russian it should be called plate-bearing leech. One pair of eyes, quite large. Unlike the snail leech, N. stagnalis is very mobile, which makes it easier for it to attack the larvae of aquatic insects, crustaceans, oligochaete worms, other leeches and small invertebrates, which it often sucks out whole. At the same time, due to its mobility, it gets into the stomachs of fish much more often than the snail leech. The plate-bearing leech lives only for a year. Leeches hatching from cocoons in the spring grow quickly and can already reproduce in July - August; then, the following spring, they lay eggs again and die. In one clutch there are from 7 to 37 eggs, which are located in two cocoons. N. stagnalis is one of the most common leeches: in addition to the northern half of Asia, Europe and northern Africa, it lives in North and South America, where there are at least two dozen species of the same genus, while 1 is known from other parts of the world - 3 types. It is possible that the leech so common among us is of South American origin.

In conclusion of the review of flat leeches, we should briefly dwell on the Baikal species of this family, of which there are only three: Baicaloclepsis grubei, B. echinulata, Paratorix baicalensis.

The fauna of Baikal is amazing and has attracted the attention of zoologists for a hundred years. The vast majority of animals living in this deepest and oldest lake on the globe are found only here and differ sharply from animals of the same groups inhabiting the reservoirs of Siberia. Many Baikal species belong to special genera and even families. The listed leeches also belong to genera that have no representatives outside Lake Baikal. Baicaloclepsis echinulata is especially interesting. Its specific name (“hedgehog”) is well deserved: the entire back is covered with papillae, and this grayish-white leech (its length is no more than 15 mm) has a shaggy appearance. The larger one (length up to 40 mm) - Baicaloclepsis grubei is yellowish in color with a soft pink tint, has six rows of large papillae on the dorsal side. The first leech has no eyes at all, while the second has poorly developed ones. The underdevelopment or absence of eyes and the whitish coloration of the body of both leeches may be explained by the fact that they live at fairly great depths, where there is very little light. The third, the Baikal glossiphonid (Paratorix baicalensis), probably lives in better lighting conditions, since its color is brownish and its eyes are developed. There is no reliable data on the nutrition, reproduction and development of these interesting leeches. All of them have small rear suckers and, obviously, suck the blood of sedentary animals, which ones are unknown. Like almost all Baikal animals, they can only live in cold water, well saturated with oxygen.

Very small Baikal trachelobdella(Trachelobdella torquata), the usual length of which is 4-6 mm. Its hosts are small amphipods and gobies, i.e. the most numerous groups of Baikal animals.

The Baikal trachelobdella is very numerous in the coastal zone of Lake Baikal. This is the only Baikal leech that is found outside the lake, in the Angara flowing out of it, but only in the very upper part of the river, where the water is still cold and very saturated with oxygen. In this part of the Angara, ordinary leeches are not found. In general, species of both groups (common and Baikal) do not live together. It should be noted that Baikal animals are very sensitive to changes in living conditions (deterioration of oxygen conditions, runoff of various chemicals, siltation of soil, etc.). For example, after the construction of the dam of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, the Baikal trachelobdella is almost never found in the Irkutsk reservoir, which was formed in the upper part of the Angara, where this leech was numerous. In the named reservoir the water is relatively clean, but the bottom began to silt and the flow speed sharply decreased. This shows how dangerous various changes in the regime of Lake Baikal are, fauna which is unique and must be preserved at all costs.

Of the species of the family under consideration that live in our northern and Far Eastern seas, we will mention only a few.

On shrimp(Sclerocrangon boreas) and, possibly, a small leech (length 10-20 mm) - Platybdella fabricii, found from Greenland to Sea of ​​Japan. She usually attaches cocoons to the shells of crayfish.

IN lately a number of ichthyobdellid species were also found in Antarctic waters. In general, representatives of this family live in all oceans.

Order jawed, or trunkless, leeches (Gnathobdellea, Arhynchobdellea)

Species of this order do not have a trunk, but have developed jaws, which in predatory forms are less developed or completely rudimentary.

Family Jaw leeches (Gnathobdellidae). Large (length more than 100 mm) or average size(length more than 30 - 50 mm) worms. The eyes are usually five pairs arranged in an arc. There are three jaws in the oral cavity. The somite is five-ringed. There is a copulatory organ. Cocoons with eggs are laid in moist soil in the coastal zone. Most species are bloodsuckers, living off various vertebrates, the minority are predators, swallowing their prey.

The most famous representative of this family is medical leech(Hirudo medicinalis), which was used to treat people already in ancient times. Its average length is about 120 mm (with a width of about 10 mm), but it can reach significantly large sizes(250-300 mm), and in the laboratory of the famous Soviet specialist on these worms G. G. Shchegolev, through intensive feeding, a giant leech 440 mm long was grown in a year and a half!

This shows that it is not always possible to judge the age of a leech by its size. Meanwhile, it was previously believed that medicinal leeches that have reached their maximum size are about 20 years old. Now this assumption needs to be verified. For medical purposes, relatively small worms, several centimeters long, are usually used. The coloration of Hirudo medicinalis is very variable, and many color forms have been described. The main background of the dorsal side can be brown (of different shades), reddish, olive-black, olive-greenish, etc. But no matter how great the variability of color, a medicinal leech can always be recognized by two longitudinal patterned narrow stripes on the back, which noticeable even in very dark specimens. The lateral edges (dorsal and ventral) are yellowish-orange. The belly is usually very colorful, but can also be monochromatic. The surface of the body is covered with very small papillae. The body is quite dense. The posterior sucker is large, its diameter exceeding half the greatest width of the body. Leeches bite through the skin with three jaws lined with sharp teeth along the edges (up to 100 on each jaw). The anal opening is small.

Medical leeches usually live in small shallow bodies of water. They can tolerate drying out if the soil remains moist enough. Representatives of all classes of vertebrates suck the blood, but their main sources of nutrition are frogs and mammals (most often cattle coming to drink). Experiments in the laboratory have shown that when feeding on frogs, leeches reach a state allowing their use after 17-20 months, and when feeding on rabbits or first on frogs, and then on rabbits - after 8-10 months. Leeches can reach sexual maturity when feeding on cold-blooded animals, but then their development takes a very long time, they lay only one cocoon (instead of three to eight) and with fewer eggs. The most effective, apparently, is combined feeding, i.e., on frogs and mammals, which is what happens in nature. Thus, the evolution of medical and a number of other jawed leeches took place in close connection with mammals.

Medical leeches- very mobile worms, especially when hungry. They, like most jawed leeches, swim well, making wave-like movements. They need to be kept in a well-closed container (with gauze, mesh, etc.), because they crawl out of the water. If there is not enough oxygen in the water, then they, like many trunkless leeches, strengthened with a rear sucker, make breathing movements similar to swimming. These leeches respond well to various irritations. So, if you make noise in the water with a stick, lowering a plywood sheet, or simply walking, then they quickly swim to the source of the noise. If two identical objects are thrown into a vessel with leeches, one of which was in the hands of a person and the other was not, then more worms accumulate near the first than near the second. They react negatively to some odors (for example, cologne). They prefer a warm surface to a cold one. It is clear that sensitivity to various irritations helps these bloodsuckers find their victims.

In nature, Hirudo medicinalis apparently reaches sexual maturity only in the third year of life and lays cocoons once a year, in the summer. In the laboratory, under favorable conditions of keeping and feeding, sexually mature leeches can be raised in 12-18 months and, by keeping them at a temperature of 18-22° in winter and 24-27° in summer, they can be forced to reproduce at any time and lay cocoons every 6-8 months. In a natural environment, leeches lay cocoons slightly above the water level in the coastal strip, for which they need to overcome high soil resistance. There is a known case when cocoons were found a hundred meters from a reservoir. The cocoons are very similar to the cocoons of silkworms; their wall consists of interwoven fibers secreted by the glands of the girdle, average length cocoon 20 mm, width 16 mm, color reddish-gray. There are an average of 15-20 eggs in one cocoon, the duration of development is about a month. Hatched leeches are called “threaders”, their length is only 7-8 mm, their jaws are still very weak, and they are not able to bite through the skin of mammals, but they can soon bite through the skin of amphibians and suck their blood.

Medical leech of southern origin. In our country, it is distributed mainly in Moldova, Ukraine, the Caucasus and Central Asia(although it is not in Turkmenistan). In the northern half of the European territory of the USSR, almost throughout Western Siberia, throughout Eastern Siberia and Far East she is missing.

For many centuries, Hirudo medicinalis has been used in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, it has been one of the favorite remedies of folk medicine and doctors. Back in the middle of the last century from Eastern Europe to Western countries, where the supply of leeches was depleted, hundreds of millions of these worms were imported. For example, about 100 million pieces were imported into France in 1850. The export of leeches from Russia was considered the most profitable source of income. In the second half of the 19th century. As scientific medicine developed, the use of leeches by doctors began to rapidly decline and they almost ceased to be used, although they continued to be used in folk medicine. However, in the 20s of this century, treatment with leeches began to revive. Various studies by doctors and physiologists have shown that hirudin and possibly other substances secreted by leeches have beneficial influence for some diseases, especially thrombophlebitis, hypertension, etc. Of course, leeches are now not considered a panacea for all ailments, as was once believed, but in some cases their use is advisable. The demand for leeches has recently increased again, and pharmacies often cannot satisfy it. In this regard, Moscow specialists have developed methods for quickly growing leeches in laboratory conditions, both caught in nature and obtained from cocoons in the laboratory. The widespread use of methods of artificial cultivation of leeches does not exclude their systematic catching in natural reservoirs, but at the same time it is necessary to protect these beneficial worms from complete extermination by ensuring their reproduction.

Medical leeches sometimes cause harm. In some small bodies of water in the south, people may be subject to massive attacks by these bloodsuckers. In such cases, you need to immediately get out of the water and remove the worms, but it is better not to tear them off, but sprinkle them with salt or lubricate them with alcohol, iodine, etc., after which they will fall off on their own. If leeches used for treatment are not carefully maintained, they can crawl into a person’s mouth and other openings and even stick to the eye.

Another jawed leech poses a serious danger to people and domestic mammals - limnatis(Limnatis nilotica). In Russian they call it horse or Nile, Egyptian, although it sucks the blood of various mammals and lives not only in Egypt, but in all Mediterranean countries, in Abyssinia, Congo, Tanganyika, and here in Transcaucasia and Central Asia. In adulthood, it reaches almost the same size as Hirudo medicinalis. Its back is greenish-brown, its belly, unlike other leeches, is darker than the dorsal side and has a blue or purple tint. There are yellow stripes on the sides of the body. The posterior sucker is large, its diameter noticeably exceeding half the maximum width of the body. The jaws are small and weak and cannot bite through the skin. Therefore, limnatis can suck blood only from mucous membranes, which explains its serious harmfulness. It lives in springs, in various other small bodies of water and enters the oral cavity, and then into the pharynx, nasopharynx, larynx of mammals and humans when they drink water directly from reservoirs. In some cases, a leech can clog the larynx and cause suffocation. When people bathe in bodies of water where the described leech is found, it can penetrate the urinary and female genital organs, and the conjunctival sac of the eyes. The presence of limnatis causes hemoptysis and bleeding, often profuse. According to some reports, in Central Asia, sometimes up to 30% of livestock brought to slaughterhouses are infected with it. Similar data are given for Bulgaria, Western Asian countries, etc. The penetration of limnatis into the bodies of people and animals is facilitated by the fact that the surface of its body is very smooth and secretes a colossal amount of mucus, and thanks to the powerful posterior sucker it is firmly held in certain organs. There is a known case when this leech was in a person for 3 months and 20 days. The horse leech can also suck frogs. Its reproduction and development are in many ways similar to the same processes of Hirudo medicinalis.

Jaw-sucking leeches are numerous in hot countries. Thus, in Africa (sub-Saharan) 9 species of the genus Hirudo and 14 species of the genus Limnatis are described.

Among the species of the described family, there are quite a large number of non-blood-sucking, predatory leeches. In the reservoirs of the USSR, only one such species is widespread - large false-cone leech(Haemopis sanguisuga). It was named False Conk to distinguish it from Limnatis, which it resembles in appearance, and is large - in contrast to some pharyngeal leeches called (see below). It is not inferior in size to the medicinal leech, and often exceeds it. The back of an adult N. sanguisuga is black with a brownish tint; there may be scattered spots on its surface. dark spots, and in young specimens the main background of the back is lighter than in adults, and a regular pattern is often visible on it. The belly is gray or greenish-gray, the lateral yellow bands are often absent. The posterior sucker is small (less than half the maximum width of the body). Its jaws are much less developed than those of N. medicinalis. The anus is large, as large pieces of undigested food are released through it. The large false horse leech is a strong and voracious predator that eats worms (including leeches), soft-bodied insects, larvae of aquatic insects and other aquatic invertebrates, as well as small vertebrates (for example, tadpoles), which it can overpower. Sometimes you can watch how two predators from two opposite ends try to swallow long worm. If they cannot cope with the prey, they tear off pieces from it.

Greater false-cone leech lives mainly in small bodies of water, often in puddles, which sometimes dry out, but their bottom remains wet; It is also found in the coastal zone of lakes and rivers. The described species is distributed throughout the entire territory of our country (up to the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and northern Siberia), but is rare in cold areas and lives in larger bodies of water, because small bodies of water freeze to the bottom in harsh climates. N. sanguisuga is especially numerous in the south of the USSR (Moldova, Ukraine, the Caucasus, etc.). Its reproduction and development are similar to the same processes of a medicinal leech. The muskrat, and possibly other aquatic vertebrates, readily eat this large leech.

In the Amur basin, especially in the south of the Primorsky Territory, the predatory jawed leech Whitmania leavis is often found in small reservoirs, sometimes reaching an even larger size than N. sanguisuga. It differs from the latter in having a strongly narrowed anterior end of the body and a reddish-brown patterned color that varies greatly with age. This species and other species of the same genus are distributed in China, Japan and South Asia. In this regard, it should be noted that in the Amur basin several species of leeches are known, originating from Southeast Asia and absent from the rest of the USSR. A significant number of species of predatory jawed leeches live in North and South America. They are found in greater numbers than in Europe and Northern Asia in Africa, South and Southeast Asia. Some of these species in the humid tropics lead a semi-terrestrial lifestyle.

Ground jawed blood-sucking leeches . These leeches are especially numerous in South and Southeast Asia, and also live in southern Japan, Australia, the island of Madagascar, and South and Central America. The most famous species are the genus Haemadipsa. They live where the air humidity is so high that drying out does not threaten them. Their size in comparison with other jaw leeches is insignificant (average length 30-40 mm). They find shelter in bushes, trees, and grass, where, being hungry, they sit in an expectant position, attached with their rear sucker. Possessing a keen sense of smell, they easily find their victims - mammals and people. These are extremely unpleasant bloodsuckers that crawl into various crevices of clothing. Recently invented special repellent leeches chemicals(repellents) that are used to impregnate clothing. Even after several washes, such clothes protect people from attacks by leeches.

Terrestrial jawed blood-sucking leeches, probably distant “relatives” of tropical species, are found in the mountains of Austria and Yugoslavia. There are two species of them, belonging to the genus Xerobdella ("xeros" in Greek - dry). It is believed that they suck the blood of salamanders found in the mountains *. It is possible that in past geological eras, when the climate in Europe was warmer and more humid, these leeches were widespread, and after the deterioration climatic conditions preserved only in mountainous areas, protected due to isolation from the struggle for existence with other leeches or competitors from different groups of animals.

Family Pharyngeal leeches (Herpobdellidae). All species of this family are predators and do not suck blood. They undoubtedly descended from jawed leeches, as evidenced by the rudimentary jaws of many of them. Stomach without processes. The arrangement of the eyes is very characteristic: four are located on the edge, and two are located on the sides of the anterior end of the body. There are five or five in the somite more rings. Fertilization occurs with the help of spermatophores. Cocoons are most often oval, brown in color, attached to underwater plants, stones, etc. They swim and perform breathing movements (see “Medical leech”). A large number of species of this family live in the reservoirs of the USSR (about 28% of total number species of our freshwater and brackish water leeches), and almost everywhere they rank first in terms of the number of specimens. However, they are not in Baikal. It should also be noted that only three or four species of the family in question are widely distributed throughout our country, and the rest are found only in some places in the south. The overwhelming majority of pharyngeal leeches living in the USSR belong to the genus Herpobdella (other genus names: Erpobdella and Nephelis). All species of this genus are called small false-cone leeches.

Our most famous pharyngeal leech is Herpobdella vulgaris(Herpobdella octoculata). It is the most widespread and numerous leech in Europe and Northern Asia. Its length rarely exceeds 40-50 mm. The typical form has a brown or grayish-brown back covered with transverse rows of yellow spots. However, the dark pigment may disappear to one degree or another, and the spots remain visible only on part of the back or are completely absent, as a result of which the dorsal surface becomes monochromatic, grayish, on which dark spots remain in some places. Life cycle N. octoculata is similar to the cycle of Glossiphonia complanata (see above), i.e. this leech lives for about two years. Its brownish-yellow cocoons are often found on aquatic plants and various underwater objects. The number of eggs in one cocoon can reach 24, on average it is 11 -12. This leech feeds on small worms, insect larvae and especially mosquitoes. chironomid. She herself is attacked by various predatory invertebrates; It is also found in the stomachs of fish. The dwarf (length of mature individuals averages 16-17 mm), almost monochromatic form of the described species of pharyngeal leech lives in Lake Sevan. This lake, despite its high-altitude location, is very rich in leeches, represented, however, by the three most common species: in addition to Herpobdella octoculata, the previously described Glossiphonia complanata and Helobdella stagnalis are found there, which are also distinguished by their small size and light color.

Another species of the same genus - herpobdella lineara(Herpobdella lineata), so named because it has two longitudinal black narrow stripes running down the middle of its back, is often found in large numbers in the south and lives in puddles, which are often completely dry. It is related to two peculiar leeches: herpobdella cavernosa(Herpobdella absoloni) and archaeobdella caspian(Archaeobdella esmonti).

The first leech, living in the caves of the Balkan Peninsula and recently found in the caves of Georgia, like most animals living in complete darkness, is whitish in color and lacks eyes. The same characteristics characterize the second leech, a common inhabitant of silt in the Caspian Sea, that is, also living in the dark or almost without light. Most characteristic feature archaeobdella, which distinguishes it from all leeches, on the basis of which it is separated into a special genus, is the almost complete reduction of the posterior sucker. It moves through the silt, bending its worm-like body, and the rear sucker has become redundant. Archaeobdella cocoons are similar to Herpobdella cocoons.

Archaeobdella is also found at the mouths of rivers in the Azov-Black Sea and Caspian basins.

Among the pharyngeal leeches there are also large worms, which are not inferior in size to the large jawed leeches and even surpass them. All of them are of southern origin.

In the floodplains of the Dniester, not far from Odessa, there are numerous huge (length up to 250 mm!) trochete(Trocheta subviridis), which is distributed throughout southern Europe and northern Africa. Her body color is brown or gray. This is a strong, muscular leech that can burrow deep into damp soil in search of earthworms, which it devours. coastal strip. It is also eaten by some birds and, probably, other vertebrates. Thus, many large trochetes were found in the crop of one loaf. These worms are also used as excellent bait for fish. The cocoons of trochetes are similar to the cocoons of herpobdella, but, of course, they are larger. It is interesting to note that another species of the same genus, Trocheta bykowskii, is adapted to life in mountain streams (for example, in the Carpathians) and small flowing bodies of water (in England, Holland and other Western European countries). It has recently been listed for Afghanistan and is probably found in Crimea and the Caucasus. Close to the two previous species is the more primitive Fadejewobdella quinqueannulata, found only in some places in Ukraine and in the north-west of the Caucasus. It lives in puddles and, like trochaetes, tolerates the drying out of bodies of water if the soil of the latter remains sufficiently moist. A significant number of species of large pharyngeal leeches leading a semi-terrestrial lifestyle are known in Japan and Southeast Asia, where the climate is characterized by high humidity.

Leeches(lat. Hirudinea) - a subclass of annelids from the class of belt worms (Clitellata). Most representatives live in fresh water bodies. Some species have mastered terrestrial and marine biotopes. About 500 species of leeches are known, 62 species are found in Russia. Russian word“leech” goes back to the Proto-Slavic *pьjavka (cf. Czech pijavka, Polish pijawka), formed from the verb *pьjati, a multiple verb from *piti “to drink”.

General information

Leeches can move both in water and on land using contraction of body muscles. In water it swims, making wave-like movements, on land it moves with the help of suction cups and crawling, like other worms. Both suction cups are used to move along the substrate and attach to it. Due to the strong muscular body, active leeches can, freely held by the rear suction cup, lift the body and make prowling searching movements with the front end of the body. When resting, it prefers to climb under stones and snags and lie down, partially hanging out of the water.

Leeches are able to respond to light, as well as temperature, humidity and water fluctuations. They have a reflexive reaction to shadows, which can indicate the approach of potential food. The sensitivity of leeches sharply decreases during sucking and mating, to the point that when the rear end of the body is cut off, the leech does not react and continues its behavior.

Nutrition

On average, a hungry leech weighing 1.5–2 g is capable of sucking up to 15 ml of blood at a time, increasing in weight by 7–9 times.

IN natural conditions hungry leeches await their prey, attaching themselves to plants or other substrate with both suckers. When signs of approaching prey appear (ripples, shadows, water vibrations), they uncouple and swim in a straight line towards the source of the vibrations. Having found an object, the leech fixates on it with its rear suction cup, while the front one makes prowling movements in search of a suitable place to bite. This is usually the place with the thinnest skin and superficially located vessels.

The duration of blood sucking varies depending on the activity of the leech, the properties of the animal’s blood and other conditions. On average, a leech that has been starving for 6 months becomes satiated in 40 minutes – 1.5 hours.

Reproduction and development

Wild leeches reach sexual maturity in 3–4 years, feeding only 5–6 times until this age. In captivity, maturation occurs faster, in 1–2 years.

Reproduction occurs once a year in the summer from June to August. Copulation occurs on land, two leeches wrap around each other and stick together. Despite the fact that leeches are hermaphrodites, and cross-fertilization is possible, each individual, as a rule, acts in only one capacity. Fertilization is internal; immediately after it, leeches look for a place on the shore near the coastline to lay a cocoon.

Leech cocoon

One leech can lay up to 4–5 cocoons; they are oval in shape and covered on the outside with a spongy shell. Inside the cocoon there is a protein mass to feed the embryos, the number of which can be up to 20–30; their development until hatching takes 2–4 weeks. The hatched little leeches are miniature versions of the adults and are ready to feed on blood. They feed mainly on frogs, since they cannot yet bite through the skin of mammals.

History of the use of leeches in medicine

Hirudotherapy(Latin hirūdō - “leech”, ancient Greek θεραπεία - “treatment”) - a method of alternative medicine, one of the areas of naturopathy, the treatment of various human diseases using medicinal leeches. Treatment with leeches was previously used in conventional medicine, but fell out of use in the 20th century due to the advent of synthetic anticoagulants, including hirudin.

The hiruda is a medicinal leech originating from Europe and has been used for bloodletting for many hundreds of years. Hippocrates, Galen, and Avicenna wrote about treatment with leeches. Drawings of the use of leeches were found on the walls of Egyptian tombs. The healing properties of medicinal leech have been known to people for thousands of years. Descriptions of methods for treating various diseases with the help of leeches can be found in the medical collections of most ancient civilizations: Ancient Egypt, India, Greece. The use of leeches was described by Hippocrates (IV–V centuries BC) and Avicenna (Ibn Sina, 980–1037).

Most wide application Medical leeches were obtained in the 17th–18th centuries in Europe for bloodletting in connection with the concept of “bad blood” that dominated medicine at that time. In order to release bad blood, doctors sometimes applied up to 40 leeches to one patient at a time. Preference was given to vein bloodletting in case of need for bloodletting from hard-to-reach or tender places (for example, gums). In the period from 1829 to 1836, 33 million leeches per year were used for treatment in France, in London - up to 7 million with a population of 2.3 million inhabitants. Russia supplied Europe with about 70 million leeches per year. After a paradigm shift in the mid-19th century, bloodletting was abandoned, and the use of leeches in Europe practically ceased.

Scientific research into the mechanisms of action of leech on humans began in the late 19th – early 20th centuries with the work of John Haycraft, who discovered the anticoagulant effect of leech extract. In 1884, he discovered an enzyme from leech saliva - hirudin, and in 1902 preparations from hirudin were obtained. These studies marked the beginning of the scientific use of leeches in medicine. Nowadays, treatment with medicinal leeches is experiencing a rebirth.

Features of therapeutic action

Live leeches are applied directly to the human body according to specially designed patterns. The choice of attachment location is determined by many factors: disease, severity of the process, and patient’s condition. The sucking process lasts from 10–15 minutes to an hour, after which the leeches are removed with alcohol, iodine or, in the case of feeding to satiety, they are released on their own. Fed leeches must be destroyed by placing them in a chloramine solution; their reuse is not allowed. Therapeutic effect from the effects of live leeches is due to several factors:

• Dosed bloodletting (from 5 to 15 ml of blood for each leech, depending on the mass of the leech and the duration of the attachment). Used to treat arterial hypertension, glaucoma, congestion in the liver, and general intoxication of the body.
• The action of biologically active substances in leech saliva, the main of which is the anticoagulant hirudin, which reduces blood clotting. Used to treat angina and myocardial infarction, thrombophlebitis, vein thrombosis, hemorrhoids.
• A complex of body responses to a bite, biologically active substances in leech saliva and subsequent blood loss.

A reliable guarantee of protection against the transfer of infectious agents by leeches is the use of animals raised in artificial conditions and fasted for a sufficient time, in whose intestines there is no pathogenic flora. The use of leeches in therapy was revived in the 1970s: in microsurgery they are used to stimulate blood circulation to save grafted skin and other tissues from post-operative venous stasis.

Other clinical uses of medicinal leeches include the treatment of varicose veins, muscle spasms, thrombophlebitis and arthrosis. The therapeutic effect occurs not only from the flow of blood through the tissue while feeding on the leeches, but from the further and steady bleeding from the wound left after the leeches are detached. Leech saliva has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and vasodilating properties.

What leeches can treat?

Of the several dozen medicinal types, there are only three:

• pharmacy;
• medicinal;
• eastern

We hasten to disappoint those who like to self-medicate with leeches. Caught in a local reservoir, at best they will be useless, at worst they will cause irreparable harm, giving a person a number of unpleasant diseases that they can carry. Leeches intended for hirudotherapy are grown in completely sterile special laboratories and are used only once.

Indications for use

There are a number of diseases in which treatment with leeches significantly improves the patient’s condition:

• Problems with blood vessels, blood formation, tendency to form blood clots, blood stagnation.
• Diseases of connective tissues and joints.
• Dysfunction of the genitourinary system.
• Neurological diseases.
• Menstrual irregularities, genital inflammation, ovarian dysfunction, endometriosis.
• Neuroses, epilepsy, migraines, sleep disorders.
• diseases associated with disorders of the thyroid gland.

The benefits of leeches in the treatment of blood vessels and blood

At varicose veins treatment of veins with leeches stimulates blood formation and helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Hirudin, secreted by the leech in saliva, is a natural biologically active substance that helps improve metabolism and prevents the formation of blood clots. In the early stages of the disease, it is possible to completely cure or stop its development with the help of hirudotherapy.

Treatment for arthrosis and osteochondrosis

Non-inflammatory lesions of joints and cartilage tissue caused by circulatory or metabolic disorders, large or improperly distributed loads, and injuries are successfully treated with leeches. Treatment is aimed at reducing pain, increasing joint movement and stopping progression. The secretion that leeches secrete when they bite contains a natural analgesic enzyme that helps improve the patient's condition. It’s not for nothing that a couple of centuries ago, military doctors placed these bloodsuckers in the area of ​​soldiers’ wounds to prevent painful shock.

Treatment of spinal diseases

Hirudotherapy plays an important role in the complex treatment of spinal diseases. It helps restore normal physiological processes occurring in the deep tissues surrounding the spinal column. Treatment with leeches for spinal hernia is an effective remedy that complements the main one. If there is no desired result from conservative treatment, you have to resort to surgery. During postoperative rehabilitation, leeches can bring a lot of benefits to the patient. Their use helps prevent postoperative complications. Thanks to hirudotherapy sessions, scar-adhesive processes in ligaments and tendons are reduced, the likelihood of the formation of new hernias due to load redistribution is reduced, and congestion in the vertebral veins disappears.

Treatment with leeches is also effective for osteochondrosis. The cause of this pathology is degeneration of intervertebral discs and ligaments that lose water, become thinner, and become covered with microcracks. As a result, the distance between the vertebrae decreases, pressure occurs on the nerve roots, causing pinching, spasms and inflammation in the paravertebral muscles.

The benefits of leeches for weight loss

Medical leeches are actively used in aesthetic medicine for weight loss and cellulite treatment. This effect occurs due to the influence of substances in the saliva of annelids on metabolism and blood circulation. The biologically active substances of leeches have a lipolytic effect - they burn fat. In addition, the process of microcirculation is improved and the supply of oxygen to cells is enhanced, and stagnation of lymphatic fluid in adipose tissue is eliminated. All this contributes to the reverse development of pathological changes in cellulite and a decrease in body volume.

The effect of using leeches for weight loss will be even more noticeable if you combine hirudotherapy with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

Treating acne with leeches

Treating acne with medicinal leeches is very effective. After just a few sessions of applying leeches to the face, the rash is significantly reduced, and after the entire course it completely disappears. The result of this treatment is the amazing and varied properties of these animals on the skin.

Firstly, leech saliva has a powerful bacteriological and antiseptic effect. It destroys all pathological pyogenic microorganisms, which cause the formation of acne. Secondly, the substances that leeches transmit with their bite have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, due to which the inflamed areas heal quickly. Thirdly, thanks to the mechanical and biological action of animals, the blood supply to the skin increases, which plays an important role in establishing the normal functioning of the sebaceous glands.

As you can see, hirudotherapy in cosmetology has a wide range of applications. Do not refuse this treatment just because you are disgusted by leeches. You just have to be patient a little and, perhaps, you will get rid of the cosmetic problem that has tormented you for many years forever.

Contraindications

Contraindications are:

• diseases accompanied by bleeding due to decreased blood clotting;
• hemolysis;
• anemia (anemia);
• weakening or exhaustion of the body;
• intolerance by the body to leech enzymes (allergic reactions);
• tuberculosis of various localizations;
• oncological diseases.

Harm of leeches

Due to the specific structure and feeding methods, the use of leeches in medicinal purposes may be associated with the following risks:

• The digestive tract of a medicinal leech constantly contains the bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila, which protects it from infections when feeding on the blood of sick animals and promotes proper absorption of nutrients. In humans, it can cause gastrointestinal disorders, poisoning and even diseases of the mucous membranes. Although hirudotherapists deny the possibility of bacteria getting into the leech’s jaws, this hypothesis has not been completely refuted.
• With the blood of infected animals, pathogens of various dangerous diseases enter the leech’s body. Once settled on the jaws, they can be transmitted through a bite to other people and animals. The use of leeches grown under artificial conditions has eliminated this problem.
• Leech saliva contains substances that thin the blood, and after removing it, the wound can bleed for a long time. In addition, in some cases these substances can be very irritating to the skin.

The process of breeding leeches is simple and accessible to anyone. In order to organize a leech farm, you need to find a room with several rooms, since leeches at different stages of their growth: cocoon, fry, adult, must be kept separately. As an option, you can adapt one room by dividing it into sectors. The main conditions for breeding leeches are maintaining a favorable microclimate for them: air temperature from 25 to 27º C.

Although wild leeches naturally live in colder waters, the reproduction and development of their medical relatives in warm conditions occurs much better. The temperature of the water in which the leeches are located should be room temperature, that is, the same 25-27º C. The air humidity in the room should be at least 80%.

Containers for leeches are ordinary 3-piece liter jars filled with water purified through special filters. Aquariums can also work, but it will cost much more. It is necessary to carefully monitor all stages of growth of leeches and promptly “transfer” the animals to other rooms (sectors) when they reach the next “age”.

By the way, all work on feeding leeches, purifying water in containers, replanting leeches, etc., is carried out only by hand. Even on large leech farms. Leeches feed on blood, which can be obtained from livestock farms, private farmers, or slaughterhouses by concluding appropriate agreements with them.

Special biofactories are engaged in breeding leeches on an industrial scale. Currently, there are only four such factories in Russia: two in the Moscow region, one in St. Petersburg and one in the city of Balakovo, Saratov region. In total, they grow 5–5.5 million leeches per year, which makes Russia the leader in the production of leeches in the world: only 0.5 million per year are grown in France and the USA.

A leech is a worm that has a kind of “brain”. Nietzsche's Zarathustra tried to claim that he was familiar with the mental, or rather mental, activity of the leeches of these interesting worms. Researchers, of course, have not yet found the “brain” of leeches, but it is quite possible to say that the leech has a fairly branched nervous system, consisting of a peripheral part and a sympathetic autonomic system.

There is an opinion that a leech “loves” a person. Researchers of this “crawling world” have long been interested in whether leeches or any other worms have any feelings. Well, animals, of course, cannot love like people. But some species of mammals are characterized by certain emotional experiences associated with devotion, friendliness, and affection.

Sources

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeches http://www.pijavki.com/o_pijavkah.html http://polzovred.ru/zdorovie/piyavki.html#i-2 http://pomogispine.com /lechenie/girudoterapiya.html http://www.aif.ru/health/life/1188201