pijawka) formed from the verb * pьjati, multiple verb from * piti"drink". Moreover, in Russian, the form would be expected * drink(compare Ukrainian p᾽yavka), and and in this case, they explain it by a secondary rapprochement with the verb "drink" according to folk etymology.

In latin hirūdō find the same suffix as in testūdō"Tortoise", but the etymologization of the root is difficult. As possible relatives are named hīra"Small intestine" and haruspex"Haruspex".

Structure

The body length of different representatives varies from a few millimeters to tens of centimeters. The largest representative - Haementeria ghilianii(up to 45 cm).

The front and rear ends of the body of the leeches are carried by suckers. At the bottom of the front is the mouth opening leading to the pharynx. In proboscis leeches (detachment Rhynchobdellida) the pharynx is able to move outward. In jaw leeches (for example, a medicinal leech), the oral cavity is armed with three movable chitinous jaws that serve to cut through the skin.

Nutrition

Biology of the organism

The body is elongated or oval, more or less flattened in the dorsal-abdominal direction, clearly divided into small rings, which, among 3-5, correspond to one segment of the body; there are numerous mucus-secreting glands in the skin; at the posterior end of the body, there is usually a large sucker, often at the front end there is a well-developed sucker, in the center of which the mouth is placed; more often the mouth serves for sucking. At the anterior end of the body there are 1-5 pairs of eyes, located in an arc or in pairs one after the other. Powder on the dorsal side above the back suction cup. The nervous system consists of a two-lobed supraopharyngeal ganglion, or the brain, connected to it by short commissures of the subpharyngeal ganglion (derived from several merged nodes of the abdominal chain) and the abdominal chain itself, located in the abdominal blood sinus and having about 20 nodes. The head node innervates the sensory organs and the pharynx, and 2 pairs of nerves extend from each node of the abdominal chain, innervating the corresponding body segments; the lower wall of the intestine is equipped with a special longitudinal nerve that gives branches to the blind sacs of the intestine. The digestive organs begin with a mouth armed with or three chitinous serrated plates (jaw P. - Gnathobdellidae), which serve to cut through the skin when sucking blood in animals, or a proboscis capable of protruding (in proboscis P. - Rhynchobdellidae); numerous salivary glands open into the oral cavity, sometimes secreting a poisonous secret; the pharynx, which plays the role of a pump during sucking, is followed by an extensive, highly distensible stomach, equipped with lateral sacs (up to 11 pairs), of which the posterior ones are the longest; the hindgut is thin and short. The circulatory system consists partly of real, pulsating, vessels, partly of cavities - sinuses, which represent the remainder of the cavity of the (secondary) body and are interconnected by annular canals; blood in proboscis P. is colorless, in jawbones it is red due to hemoglobin dissolved in lymph. Only the river has special respiratory organs. Branchellion, in the form of leaf-like appendages on the sides of the body. The excretory organs are arranged as metanephridia, or segmental organs of annelids, and most P. have a pair of them in each of the middle segments of the body. P. - hermaphrodites: the majority of the male genital organs consist of vesicles (testes), in pairs in 6-12 middle segments of the body, connected on each side of the body by a common excretory duct; these ducts open outward with a single opening lying on the ventral side of one of the front rings of the body; the female genital opening lies one segment behind the male and leads into two separate oviducts with saccular ovaries. Two individuals copulate, each simultaneously playing the role of a female and a male. During the laying of eggs, the item secretes, with glands lying in the genital area, thick mucus surrounding the middle part of the body of P .; eggs are laid in this cover, after which P. crawls out of it, and the edges of its holes come together, stick together and thus form a capsule with eggs inside, usually attached to the lower surface of the algae leaf; The embryos, leaving the facial membrane, sometimes (Clepsine) for some time remain on the lower side of the mother's body. All P. are carnivores, feeding on blood for the most part of warm-blooded animals or mollusks, worms, etc.; They live mainly in fresh waters or in wet grass, but there are also marine forms (Pontobdella), just like terrestrial forms (in Ceylon). Hirudo medicinalis - medical P. up to 10 cm in length and 2 cm in width, black-brown, black-green, with a longitudinal patterned reddish pattern on the back; the belly is light gray, with 5 pairs of eyes on the 3rd, 5th and 8th rings and strong jaws; distributed in the marshes of the South. Europe, South Russia and the Caucasus. In Mexico, Haementaria officinalis is used in medicine; another species, N. mexicana, is poisonous; in tropical Asia, Hirudo ceylonica and other related species that live in humid forests and grass are common, causing painful bleeding bites to humans and animals. Aulostomum gul o - horse P., black-green in color, with a lighter bottom, has a weaker mouth weapon and therefore is unsuitable for therapeutic purposes; the most common species in sowing. and central Russia. Nephelis vulgaris - small P. with a thin narrow body, gray in color, sometimes with a brown pattern on the back; equipped with 8 eyes located in an arc at the head end of the body; related to it is the original Archaeobdella Esmonti, pink in color, without a back sucker; lives on a silt bottom in the Caspian and Azov seas. Clepsine tessel ata - Tatar P., with a broadly oval body, greenish-brown in color, with several rows of warts on the back and 6 pairs of triangular eyes located one after the other; lives in the Caucasus and Crimea, where it is used by the Tatars for medicinal purposes; Acanthobdella peledina, which occurs in Lake Onega, occupies a transitional place to the order of bristle-footed worms (Chaetopoda Oligochaeta).

History of medical use

Medical leech ( Hirudo officinalis) - is found in the north of Russia, especially in the south, in the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, in Poti, Lankaran. In the 19th century, leeches were a profitable export item: Greeks, Turks, Italians, etc. came to the Caucasus for them. Moreover, artificial breeding of leeches was carried out in special pools or parks according to the Sale system in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Pyatigorsk and Nizhny Tagil. On the basis of the current laws, fishing for leeches during their breeding - in May, June and July - is prohibited; when fishing, only those fit for medical use must be selected, that is, at least 1 1/2 inches of length; leeches are small, as well as too thick, should be thrown back into the water when fishing. To supervise the observance of these rules, the provincial medical departments are obliged to testify the stocks of leeches from barbers and other traders who hunt them. Since then, as medicine drove out leeches from use, the leech industry has fallen completely.

Notes (edit)

Sources of

  • Ruppert E.E., Fox R.S., Barnes R.D. Zoology of invertebrates. T. 2: Lower coelomic animals. M., "Academy", 2008.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what "Leeches" is in other dictionaries:

    - (Hirudinea), a class of annelids. L. from several mm up to 15 cm, rarely more. Came from small-bristled worms. The body is usually flattened, rarely cylindrical, with two suckers (perioral and posterior); consists of a head blade, 33 rings ... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

    BEACHES, a class of worms. Length 0.5 to 20 cm. The body is usually flattened, with 2 suction cups. About 400 species live in fresh and marine waters. Most leeches are bloodsuckers, whose salivary glands secrete the protein substance hirudin, which prevents ... ... Modern encyclopedia

    Class of annelids. Length 0.5 to 20 cm. They have front and back suction cups. 400 kinds. In fresh and marine waters. Most leeches are bloodsuckers, whose salivary glands secrete hirudin, which prevents blood from clotting. Medicinal leech ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    - (Hirudinei) detachment of the class of annelids. The body is elongated or oval, more or less flattened in the dorsally abdominal direction, clearly divided into small rings, which, among 3 5, correspond to one segment of the body; there are numerous glands in the skin ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

In hirudotherapy, 2 types of leeches are used: pharmaceutical - Hirudo medicinalis officialis and medicinal - Hirudo medicinalis medicinalis. There is another subspecies of the medicinal leech - oriental (Hirudo medicinalis orientalis), but due to a number of its features, it is less commonly used in hirudotherapy.
Medicinal leeches are grown in biofactories and each batch is accompanied by the corresponding documents in accordance with the pharmacopoeial monograph (for example: FS 42-702-97, FSP 42-0630-7038-05) and a certificate of conformity. After a hirudotherapy session, the worms are disposed of.

The structure of a medicinal leech

The medicinal leech has a dense body with well-developed muscles and 2 suction cups. It does not lend itself well to tearing and is divided into thirty-three segments. The leech benefits from its digestive system. The latter consists of the oral cavity, pharynx, intestinal tube and anus.
In the oral cavity there are 3 jaws with rows of small chitinous denticles. Due to this, the leech easily and quickly bites through the skin, and the wound has a three-beam appearance.


The average weight of a leech in a hungry state is from - 0.5 to 3 g.
Depending on the place where the leeches are placed, different sizes are used:

1. Small (cosmetic) up to 5 cm.
2. Medium (adults) size 10-12 cm
3. Large (adults) measuring 12-18 cm.

Qualitative signs of a healthy leech:

1. Should not have physical injuries on the body and suction cups, "constrictions".
2. Has a pronounced contractile reflex.
3. Quickly goes to the hand lowered into the water and is tightly attached with the back suction cup, the front suction cup makes search movements to bite the skin.
4. When you take your hand out of the water and shake it, does not fall off.

Medicinal leech extract

Up to 200 biologically active substances were found in the saliva of the leech. For a long time, only hirudin was known to science. It prevents blood from clotting, thereby accelerating blood flow. Destabilase is responsible for the resorption of blood clots, while hyaluronidase and collagenase improve the permeability of tissues and vascular walls. This increases the absorption of nutrients by the body. Also, hyaluronidase absorbs connective tissue, prevents the formation of scars and adhesions.
Apyrase cleans blood vessels from cholesterol, and orgelase promotes the formation of new capillaries. Bradykinins and Eglins relieve inflammation. Bdellins prevent blood clotting. Kininase relieves pain. Histamine-like substances dilate blood vessels.

The healing properties of leeches

Restoring the circulation of blood and lymph in the body
Improving the nutrition of organs and tissues
Removal of inflammation
Activation of recovery processes in the body

The benefits of medicinal leeches

Leeches restore microcirculation in the body, relieve swelling and inflammation, relieve pain, strengthen the immune system and tone the body.
Modern researches have proved that the leech should be considered as a single living, very complex and peculiar nonspecific irritant in relation to the human body as a whole, and not just a local method of mechanical extraction of blood from capillaries above the corresponding "problem" organ.

The complex influence of the reflex, vascular, and humoral mechanisms, morphological, chemical and biochemical changes in the blood leads to the restoration of the disturbed physiological set of adaptive reactions of the body to the elimination or maximum limitation of the action on it of various pathogenic factors of the external or internal environment.

Medical leeches: application

Leeches are effective in treating diseases of the cardiovascular system. The secret of saliva cleans the blood vessels from cholesterol, restores the walls, improves their permeability, and promotes the development of the capillary network.
Also, hirudotherapy is effective in the treatment of gynecological and urological inflammatory diseases (endometriosis, adhesions, fibroids, prostatitis), hemorrhoids, problems in the digestive tract. Leeches regulate hormonal levels, which helps in the treatment of the endocrine system.
Hirudotherapy is used for problems with the central and peripheral nervous system:
- neuritis,
- migraine,
- concussion of the brain,
- VSD,
- sciatica
- and etc.
Leech enzymes help to cope with skin (psoriasis, eczema, furunculosis, etc.) and ENT diseases (otitis media, rhinitis, sinusitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis). They also help solve metabolic problems and heal joints.

The list of diseases for which the leech can be used:

1. Diseases of the cardiovascular system (ischemic heart disease, heart failure of the I-II stage, atherosclerotic and postinfarction cardiosclerosis, cardialgia, discirculatory atherosclerotic encephalopathy, hypertension of the I-III stage).
2. Diseases of the respiratory system (chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, chronic pneumonia, chronic sinusitis).
3. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by spastic or atonic disorders, gastritis, pancreatitis.
4. Inflammatory diseases of the liver and biliary tract.
5. Neurological diseases (diseases of the peripheral nervous system, vascular diseases of the brain, traumatic lesions of the central nervous system and peripheral nerves, neuroses, multiple sclerosis).
6. Vascular diseases (obliterating endarteritis of the extremities, thrombophlebitis, hemorrhoids).
7. Inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs.
8. Diseases of the genitourinary system (prostatitis, cystitis).
9. Eye diseases (glaucoma, inflammatory eye diseases).
10. Skin diseases (psoriasis, neurodermatitis, eczema).
11. Surgical diseases (prevention of postoperative infiltrates, thrombosis, lymphostasis).
12. Diseases of the endocrine system (climacteric syndrome, hyperthyroidism, thyroiditis, obesity).
13. Dental diseases (caries, stomatitis, cheilitis, glossitis, periodontal disease, periodontitis, alveolar pyorrhea).
14. Traumatological and orthopedic diseases (inflammatory processes, consequences of gunshot wounds, phantom pain syndrome, etc.).
15. Systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma.
16. Diseases of the joints (arthrosis, arthritis).

The main healing effects of using leeches:

Restoration of general and local blood and lymph circulation;
Strengthening the processes of microcirculation of organs and tissues;
Anti-inflammatory action;
Strengthening the reparative (restorative) processes of tissues and organs.

Contraindications to the use of leeches

Leeches are contraindicated in cancer, anemia, hemophilia, hypotension, pregnancy. Hirudotherapy is not performed within 1 month after a cesarean section. Individual enzyme intolerance is rare. As for allergies, it manifests itself in the form of swelling, redness, itching at the site of the bite, and an increase in body temperature. There is no need to stop treatment. Symptoms indicate that the body is heavily polluted and a total cleansing begins.
Take a break until symptoms disappear and then continue with the procedure. List of contraindications:

1. Diseases accompanied by blood clotting disorders.
2. Anemia.
3. Leukemia.F
4. Erosive and ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract.
5. Acute febrile diseases with an unclear diagnosis.
6. Subacute bacterial endocarditis.
7. Active forms of tuberculosis.
8. The state of acute mental excitement.
9. State of alcoholic intoxication.
10. Sharp emaciation (cachexia).
11. Hypotension.
12. Pregnancy.
13. Condition after operations on the brain and spine.
14. Oncological diseases.
15. Individual intolerance to leeches, allergic reactions that occur in 0.01% of the population.

Medical leeches: price

The price depends on the type of medicinal leech, its size. There are small, medium and large individuals. Their sizes vary from 5 to 18 centimeters, and their weight is from 0.5 to 3 grams.

The cost of treatment with leeches

The cost of treatment depends on the number of leeches used and their price. The final price is determined after drawing up a course of hirudotherapy in an individual consultation with the patient.

Procedure name Price
Setting 1 leech RUB 500
Setting of 3 leeches RUB 1,500
Setting of 5 leeches RUB 2500

Long-awaited report from the leech farm. You will learn how leeches live in captivity, what they eat, how they reproduce. For the first time, we managed to shoot unique footage of the birth of a leech in natural conditions and in captivity.

Five pairs of eyes tensely watched the water column, all senses were aimed at finding the victim. For more than three weeks, in search of food, you have to move from one corner of the reservoir to another. Even repeated forays onto land did not bring the desired result. The vampire was overcome with sorrowful thoughts. Blood and only blood ... “Well, well, you can hold out for another three months, but if happiness does not smile, you will have to emigrate to a neighboring reservoir; they say that cattle come there to drink ... ”Somewhere there was a splash, another, third - the steel muscles tensed. The vampire identified the source of the vibrations and directed his body towards the victim with smooth undulating movements. There she is! Light, warm body, and how little wool, just not to miss. The vampire spread his huge mouth, bared three terrible jaws with the sharpest teeth and dug into the victim ... A heartbreaking cry announced the water surface of the reservoir.

01.

02. Today we will tell you about the International Medical Leech Center, created on the basis of the Medpiavka association formed in 1937, which was engaged in keeping leeches in the artificial ponds of the Udelnaya dacha village (Moscow region).

03. On 2500 sq. m. production facilities are located for the cultivation of more than 3,500,000 medicinal leeches and the production of cosmetic products.

04. A total of 400 species of leeches are known to science, which look approximately the same and differ mainly in color. Leeches are black, greenish or brownish. The Russian name for these nimble worms indicates their ability to "dig" into the victim's body and suck blood.

05. Leeches live in three-liter jars. Nothing better was invented as a house for them. The leech leader must ensure that the vessel with leeches is constantly covered with a dense white cloth, which is tightly tied.

06. Leeches are unusually mobile and tend to crawl out of the water quite often. Therefore, they are able to easily leave the container in which they are stored. Shoots occur periodically.

07. The leech has 10 eyes, but the leech does not perceive the complete image. Despite the seeming primitiveness of the sensory perception of leeches, they are perfectly oriented in space. Smell, taste and touch are extraordinarily developed in them, which contributes to their success in finding a victim. First of all, leeches respond well to odors emanating from objects immersed in water. Leeches do not tolerate foul-smelling water.

08. Slow, lack of sharpness of movement allows you to see the whole body of the leech. On the back, against a dark background, bright orange blotches form a fancy pattern in the form of two stripes. Black edging on the sides. The abdomen is delicate, light olive in color with a black edging. The body of an ordinary medicinal leech consists of 102 rings. On the dorsal side, the rings are covered with many small papillae. On the ventral side, the papillae are much smaller and less visible.

09. But behind the harmless external beauty of the leech lies its secret weapon - the front sucker, outwardly invisible. The large, intimidating rear suction cup does not cause any physical damage, but in the depths of the front one there are jaws, geometrically located according to the sign of the prestigious company of the automotive world - Mercedes. Each jaw has up to 90 teeth, a total of 270. Here it is - deceit.

10. The record for the maximum size of a leech grown in this center is 35 centimeters in length. The leech in the photo is still ahead.

11. Bitten by a leech - like a nettle stung. The bite of the same horsefly or ant is much more painful. Leech saliva contains pain relievers (analgesics). The leech feeds exclusively on blood. Hematophage, that is, a vampire.

12. The epidermal layer of the leech is covered with a special film - the cuticle. The cuticle is transparent, it performs a protective function and grows continuously, periodically renewing itself during the molting process. Normally, leeches molt every 2-3 days.

13. Discarded films resemble white flakes or small white covers. They clog the bottom of the vessels for storing the leeches used, and therefore must be regularly removed, and the water is periodically colored from digestion products. The water is changed twice a week.

14. Water is specially prepared: it settles for at least a day, is cleaned of harmful impurities and heavy metals. After cleaning and passing the control, the water is heated to the required temperature and enters the general network for leeches.

15.

16. Leeches poop up to several times a day, so the water in the vessel where the leeches used are stored is periodically stained. The occasional clogging of water does not cause any harm to leeches if the water is systematically changed.

17. The most important condition for the rapid cultivation of full-fledged medicinal leeches is their regular feeding with fresh blood, which is purchased from slaughterhouses.

18. Used large clots formed during the clotting of the blood mass. For full-fledged feeding of leeches, only the blood of healthy animals, mainly large and small ruminants, is taken. The clots are placed on the bottom of special vessels, where the leeches are then released.

19. To make it pleasant for leeches to eat, a film is laid on them, which they habitually bite through and suck blood.

20. During growth, the leech feeds every one and a half to two months.

21. After the leeches have grown and starved for at least three months, they are collected in series and sent for certification, and then they go on sale or are used in the production of cosmetics. The Center has an accredited laboratory of the quality control department. But more on that tomorrow.

22. For one feeding, the leech sucks out five times its own weight, after which it may not eat for three to four months, maximum a year. After eating, the leech looks like a solid muscle sac filled with blood. In its digestive tract there are special substances that protect the blood from decay, which preserve it in such a way that the blood always remains full and is stored for a long time.

23. Leech is usually eaten in 15-20 minutes. A sign that the leech is full, foam appears.

24. Well-fed leeches are trying to escape from the "canteen".

25. Yum-yum!

26. After feeding, the leeches are washed.

27. And put it back in the jar.

28.

29. And the dishes are washed.

30.

31. Leeches communicate with each other very rarely, only during the mating period. And then, most likely, out of necessity, so as not to die out. Suitable for reproduction, that is, carefully fattened and reached the specified size, leeches are called queens.

32. They are placed in pairs in jars filled with water and stored in special rooms, where the optimum temperature of the environment is observed, which supports the activity of leeches and their reproductive abilities. Copulation and laying of cocoons with eggs occur in leeches at an ambient temperature of 25 to 27 ° C. And although each individual carries both masculine and feminine principles (hermaphrodites), it cannot satisfy itself in this intimate affair and is looking for a partner.

33. The mating season, during which mating takes place, takes about 1 month, after which the leeches are seated in queen cells - three-liter jars. Wet peat soil is placed at the bottom of the mother liquor, which provides a favorable environment for medicinal leeches and their cocoons. The peat is lined with soft moss sod that regulates soil moisture. The queens move freely on the moss, in which they feel comfortable, and are gradually buried in peat.

34. Leeches practice different positions in which copulation is carried out. There are 2 main positions that have biological meaning. First position: the front ends of the bodies of copulating leeches are directed in one direction. The second main position: the ends of the bodies are oppositely directed, that is, they look in different directions.

35. Peat is washed thoroughly to keep the leeches moist and comfortable.

36.

37. By the light rings, you can identify a pregnant leech and plant it in a jar of peat.

38. Breaking through a shallow course in the soil, the leech lays in it a cocoon from which the filaments are subsequently removed - this is the name of the leech guide of small young leeches. Their mass reaches 0.03 g at most, and their body length is 7-8 mm. The filaments are fed in the same way as adults.

39. Each mother leech lays an average of 3-5 cocoons, each of which contains 10-15 fry.

40. After a while, the cocoons become like soft foam balls.

41. In the light you can see that fry are sitting inside the cocoon.

42. And here is the unique footage of the birth. The leech leaves the cocoon through a hole in the end.

43.

44. The first minutes of a little leech's life.

45. And this is how they are born in the center. The cocoons are simply torn apart.

47. Laboratory studies have shown that the average lifespan of a leech is 6 years. How many wild individuals live, scientists do not know for certain, although it is possible that among the leeches there are long-livers.

Tomorrow at the same time there will be a story about how leeches are killed to help people. What happens to a leech after it has sucked blood from a person? How are these cute worms tortured? How leech powder is made and more!

Text:
DG Zharov's book "Secrets of hirudotherapy"
Book "Kiss of the Vampire". Authors: Nikonov G.I. and Titova E.A.

- the mention of it causes unpleasant associations among many. Indeed, the appearance of leeches is unattractive, one might even say repulsive. But this creature brings great benefits to man, helping to get rid of many diseases.

Types of leeches

Medical leeches belong to the type of annelids, the class of girdle worms, a subclass of leeches, a detachment of trunkless ones, the family Hirudinidae (jaw leeches). Its name in Latin is Hirudo medicinalis. The medical type is successfully used in the treatment of patients in Europe, Russia, and Ukraine. Asia, Africa, America use other types of leeches.

In the wild, there are up to 500 varieties of leeches. With such a variety of bloodsucking, only three main types are used in treatment:

Other types of leeches are not only not beneficial, but can also harm 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 it sticks to mucous membranes. They can penetrate into the oral cavity. An animal that grows in size while sucking blood can cause suffocation and death.

Land surveyor leech (Piscicola geometra)... It has a large rear suction cup, moreover, that it itself is no more than 5 cm in length. It feeds on fish blood. Having sensed a fish, it begins to move in its direction and firmly attaches itself to it. Fish sometimes die due to blood loss. May be harmful to fish farms if large numbers of leeches breed.

Common or pseudo-cone (Haemopis sanguisuga)... It is a predatory species, reaching 10 cm in length. Inhabits rivers, ditches, ponds, crawls out onto the shore. Can swallow the victim whole, or bite off pieces. It attacks those animals with which it can easily cope. Blood does not suck. Habitat - Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Belarus.

Eight-eyed (Herpobdella octoculata). It is flat, about 6 cm long. It lives in reservoirs with stagnant water, survives even in a very dirty environment. It feeds on both live and dead larvae of insects and small animals.

Pond (Helobdella stagnalis)... The smallest representative. It grows no more than 1 cm. Distributed in almost all water bodies. 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 decreasing due to the constant catch. And also the decrease in the species is facilitated by the drainage of swamps and the unfavorable ecological state of the water. It is widespread in the north, right up to Scandinavia, and in the south it is also found near Algeria.

Medical species most often inhabit the Transcaucasia and Azerbaijan. But the distribution area of ​​drugstores is Stavropol and Krasnodar Territory.

Animals can be great both in water and on land. They can live only in fresh water. Salty bodies of water are not suitable for them. When migrating from one habitat to another, they can cover quite large distances on a hard surface.

They settle in ponds and reservoirs, where the bottom is silted up and reeds grow. However, the water must be clean. It gets along well with frogs. The favorite habitat of leeches is stones and driftwood. Under them, she hides, sometimes protruding not completely out of the water.

What does it look like

Round shape medical leech body, slightly flattened, divided into 33 annular segments. In turn, each of the segments is divided into 3 or 5 parts. Each of the segments has a central ring in which the sensitive papillae are located. They function as a sensor. Suction cups are located at the back and front. The anterior suction cup acts as a mouth. The bloodsucker has 270 teeth. The rear suction cup is much larger, as it attaches the leech to the surface.

Medically dark brown almost black. The back is darker, stripes are clearly visible along it. The body is without bristles, covered with cuticles. Its bloodsucker periodically discards as the animal grows. As a rule, this happens every 2-3 days.

The animal moves without any problems and rather quickly. Able to move both on water and on a hard surface. As a means of transportation on the ground, the leech uses suction cups, and also helps itself by contracting the body. Getting into the water, the animal makes oscillatory movements and swims in waves. It is so strong that with one end of the body it can stick to the surface and raise its body to an upright position. Thus, she can search for what she needs.

How the leech works

The choice of the bite site remains with the piyavitsy. Having decided on the site of attachment, she makes a bite no more than 2 mm deep and is saturated with blood. The total volume of sucked blood does not exceed 15 ml at a time. After detaching the bloodsucker, 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 will release. It is called hirudin and prevents blood from clotting. It is not necessary to stop the blood, as this achieves a therapeutic effect.

From the moment the skin bites and the saliva of the medicinal leech enters the human blood, the healing effect begins. Useful components are carried throughout the body with the blood stream within 15–20 minutes.

As a leech sucks blood - a person does not feel. A slight unpleasant feeling may occur at the time of the bite of the skin. After that, the blood flows by gravity into the mouth, and then into the stomach of the bloodsucker. There it does not fold. As it satiates, the animal grows in size. When the limit of filling her stomach comes, it falls off by itself.

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

Having attached itself, the piyavitsa does not release 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 has been starving. For example, if a leech has not received food for about six months, then its saturation time can take up to 1.5 hours.

Breeding of leeches in nature occurs once a year, when the animals reach puberty. It occurs at the age of four. For breeding of offspring, leeches choose the summer period. The mating process in leeches is called copulation. Mating takes place by entwining one individual with another, they seem to stick together. When fertilization has taken place, after mating, the female lays cocoons. Usually their number does not exceed 5 pieces.

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

The benefits of leeches

Medicinal leeches are successfully used in the treatment of many diseases. They can, if not completely heal, then significantly improve the patient's condition. The use of leeches in complex treatment accelerates the patient's recovery.

Treatment with a medicinal leech is called hirudotherapy. The maximum effect is achieved due to several actions of hirudotherapy:

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

Salivary secretions contain pain relievers and antibacterial agents.

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

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

Contraindications to hirudotherapy

Despite the enormous benefits and positive results in the treatment of diseases with medical 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 be of immense benefit. However, hirudotherapy should be carried out by a qualified specialist so as not to harm the human body.

Previously, the medicinal leech lived in almost all corners of Europe, but now, its numbers have declined sharply. This happened because the active fishing in the past, as well as the drainage of bogs, significantly reduced the population.

The body of the medicinal leech is flattened, rounded, with two suckers that grow at the front and rear ends. The front suction cup is crowned with a mouth opening.

In its natural habitat, the leech attaches itself to various underwater plants, where it waits for its prey. The leech is very voracious, with a weight of about 2 g, it can easily suck up to 15 ml of blood at one time, while the body weight increases by almost 10 times.

The blood sucked by the leech from the victim does not clot and can remain in a liquid state for up to several months. The period that she can live from the first meal to the next is about 2 years.

To digest blood and keep it in its original liquid form, a special bacteria called Aeromonas hydrophila is found in the intestines of the leech. The leeches have a symbiotic relationship with these microorganisms. This means that both members of the tandem benefit from it. In addition, if unwanted bacteria are found in the stomach of the leech, the symbiont destroys them, purifying the blood contained in the worm.

The use of leeches in domestic medicine is directed against diseases such as varicose veins, bleeding (hemorrhage), ulcers. In the West and in Europe, with the help of these worms, they fight venous congestion, which is formed during tissue transplantation. Some medicines contain leech extract. Today, technological progress makes it possible to make attempts to create an artificial leech.

The distribution area of ​​medicinal leeches

They live in large numbers in the north up to the border with Scandinavia, in the south - up to Algeria and Transcaucasia. There is an assumption that within the boundaries of their habitat, they live in isolated populations, avoiding contact with groups of other leeches. The form of leeches used in medicine lives mainly in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus. Another form, pharmacy, lives in the Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory.


Typical habitat of leeches

Leeches are adapted to aquatic and aerial habitats. To pump from one body of water to another, they are able to overcome a long distance on land. They live only in fresh waters. Do not tolerate salty water sources. The usual place where they live is lakes or ponds, the bottom of which is lined with silt. They prefer clean water, where frogs live and reeds grow thickly.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies medicinal leeches as animals with a vulnerable quantitative composition. Some habitats that have long been accustomed to leeches are no longer areas of their distribution. The reason for the decline in the population is the massive outflow for medical purposes. Today, the intensity of population impoverishment has decreased due to the fact that the bloodletting technique has become irrelevant.

Also, biofactories are being created where leeches are artificially grown, however, this does little to restore the population. Another obvious factor that leads to the death of a large number of these animals is the reduction in the number of frogs. They are the main source of food for small leeches that are not able to suck on to larger animals.


Features of the structure of the body of leeches

As mentioned earlier, the medicinal leech has a taut, elongated body with well-developed muscles. It is divided into 33 segments. It has two suction cups, the rear one is larger than the front one, its function is to strengthen on the substrate. Each segment is divided into a certain number of segments (3 or 5), the sensory papillae are located in the central ring of each segment.

The abdomen and back differ in color, the back is dark, with brown stripes. Outside, the body has a cuticle, it is repeatedly shed as it grows. By the intensity with which the animal sheds, you can find out the health status of the leech.


The leech has four layers of muscle. The first consists of circular fibers responsible for swallowing blood, followed by a layer of diagonal and deep longitudinal fibers, they provide contraction of the body, the last layer is the back-abdominal muscles, they serve to make the body flat. The connective tissue is very elastic, dense, it covers both muscle fibers and organs.

The nervous system consists of ganglia and segmental nerves departing from them. At the anterior and posterior ends of the body, the ganglia unite and form a pair of synganglia, one pharyngeal and one anal.


The receptors that are located on each segment are classified according to the type of sensitivity into three types: baroreceptors, thermoreceptors, and chemoreceptors. All of them serve to search for food and orientate in space. On top of that, on the first five segments there are five pairs of eyes, which include special pigment cells, with the help of which the leech can distinguish light from darkness.

The digestive system includes: the mouth, in the central part of the anterior sucker, the jaw - one upper and two lower, each with 100 chitin teeth, they can damage the skin of the body to which it sticks. A special secret also enters the mouth opening, which prevents blood from clotting at the time of absorption. The stomach is presented in the form of an elastic tube, which has 11 paired pockets. The muscular sphincter separates the stomach from the intestines. In the latter, fecal masses accumulate, during the excretion of which the water turns dark.


The urine that forms in the body of the leech is excreted through the nephropores. By the type of hermaphrodite reproduction, she cannot fertilize herself alone, she still needs a couple.

Feeding and breeding of leeches

It feeds mainly on the blood of warm-blooded animals, but sometimes it can attack frogs and fish. The duration of blood absorption always varies depending on the state of the leech.

A starving individual can take blood for 2 hours.

Breeds once a year in summer. The copulation process takes place on land, leeches twine around each other and stick, after fertilization, the leech lays 5 cocoons, of which babies will be born in 2 weeks.

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