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Hirudinea (leeches)
A class of worms with flat, segmented bodies, a sucker at the posterior end & often a smaller sucker at the anterior end.
Epidemiology:
1) hirudinea are predatory on invertebrate tissues or feed on blood & tissue exudates of vertebrates.
2) aquatic leeches (ubiquitous) that parasitize fish, frogs & turtles readily attach to human & suck blood
3) several species of aquatic leeches in Africa, Asia & Southern Europe enter through the mouth, nose & genito- urinary tract & attach to mucosal surfaces, including the esophagus & trachea
Pathology:
1) hirudinin, an anticoagulant secreted by the leech, causes continued bleeding after the leech has fallen off
2) healing of the wound is slow
3) bacterial infections are NOT uncommon
Clinical manifestations:
1) attachment is generally painless
2) bleeding from mucosally attached leeches may be intense
Management:
1) leeches are removed by steady, gentle traction
2) removal is hastened by application of alcohol, salt, vinegar or a flame to the leech
3) internal (mucosal) attachments
a) may be relieved by saline gargles
b) may be removed by forceps
Specific
Gnathobdellidae (includes Hiruda [medicinal leeches])
Haemadipsa
General
Annelida
Properties
KINGDOM: animal
PHYLUM: arthropod
ORGANISM-CLASS: Hirudinea (leeches)
References
- Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams &
Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999
- Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 13th ed.
Isselbacher et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1994, pg 936-37