Functional morphology of suction discs and attachment performance of the Mediterranean medicinal leech (<i>Hirudo verbana</i>Carena)

Kampowski, Tim; Eberhard, Laura; Gallenmüller, Friederike; Speck, Thomas; Poppinga, Simon

doi:10.1098/rsif.2016.0096

Cited by 38 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…An example for the multifunctional usage of peristalsis are leeches, which ingest blood via pharyngeal peristaltic motions of their body wall, utilize a two‐heart system with peristaltic and synchronized pumping to pump their own blood, and use undulatory movements for swimming …”

Section: Classification and Comparison Of Peristaltic Pumpsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silent Pumpers: A Comparative Topical Overview of the Peristaltic Pumping Principle in Living Nature, Engineering, and Biomimetics

Esser

Masselter

Speck

2019

Advanced Intelligent Systems

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This synopsis presents the state‐of‐the‐art of peristaltic pump systems in biomimetics and living nature, and allows for a comparison by highlighting the differences in structure and function, as well as advantages and drawbacks for technical implementation. For the first time, data of selected biological examples are collected in one study to give a comprehensive overview of the performance of biological peristaltic pumps. The developed biomimetic pumping systems not only mimic the biological principle and by this inherit its advantages, but also show the usability of the principle in various pumping applications and medical research. A direct comparison of peristaltic pump systems in nature, biomimetics, and technology highlights their similarities, differences, and allows for proposing new fields of application.

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Section: Classification and Comparison Of Peristaltic Pumpsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silent Pumpers: A Comparative Topical Overview of the Peristaltic Pumping Principle in Living Nature, Engineering, and Biomimetics

Esser

Masselter

Speck

2019

Advanced Intelligent Systems

Self Cite

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“…They possess an anterior and posterior end, which are modified to form two prominent suckers, the anterior and posterior suckers, respectively. The posterior suckers aid in locomotion while the anterior suckers facilitate attachment to the host's body surface [2]. The anterior suckers in some species are modified to form well-developed three muscular jaws which are Y-shaped.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hirudiniasis in Cattle in Mpwapwa District, Dodoma Region of Tanzania

Mulilo

Siwila

Madoshi³

et al. 2020

Case Reports in Veterinary Medicine

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Hirudiniasis is a condition caused by infestation by leeches. Despite the annoyance, clinical signs, and associated lesions caused by leeches in both humans and animals, the extent of the problem in Tanzania is not well elucidated. Individual animals and people become infested when they drink, bath, or walk through contaminated water sources. Leech infestations are more common in rural areas where water is scarce especially during the dry season. In this report, clinical cases of hirudiniasis in twenty-seven (27) cattle in Mpwapwa, Tanzania, are presented. The report further reviews the morphological features of leeches and creates awareness among the affected cattle farmers and the general public. A total of two hundred (200) live cattle were examined; out of these, 27 cattle had live leeches. There were, on average, 3–8 leeches per animal. Affected cattle had wounds on the gums, buccal mucosa, root of the tongue, and under the tongue with copious amounts of blood-stained frothy discharge. Further, the affected animals had respiratory distress and were rolling their tongues. The leeches were manually removed from all the affected cattle, with uneventful recovery. Laboratory examination revealed segmented, dorsal-ventral flattened, cylindrical parasites which had posterior and anterior suckers. The leech infestation was linked to drinking water from a pond which was suspected to be contaminated with “undescribed organisms” as indicated by the farmers. A follow-up was made and revealed no new cases and complete recovery of the affected animals. Hirudiniasis is one of the neglected diseases in humans and livestock and, therefore, requires integrated efforts especially in areas where water is scarce during the dry season. It is anticipated that this case report will stimulate interest and more studies in the subject matter to understand the extent of the problem and document the species and distribution of leeches in Tanzania.

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“…Two studies to date have measured the attachment performance of blepharicerid larvae [12,13], yet neither of them offers mechanistic insight into how their suction organs cope with different surface conditions to generate strong underwater attachments. The limited state of knowledge extends to biological suction in general: there are only a few well-studied animals (namely, remora fish, clingfish, octopus, and leeches) for which the function of specific structures in biological suction attachments has been experimentally demonstrated [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. This may be the consequence of mechanistic studies on biological adhesion focussing primarily on terrestrial climbing animals such as geckos, tree-frogs, insects, and spiders [24,25], but it is still surprising as suction is one of the main strategies for strong and controllable underwater adhesion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme suction attachment performance from specialised insects living in mountain streams (Diptera: Blephariceridae)

Kang¹,

White

Chen³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Suction is widely used by animals for strong controllable underwater adhesion but is less well understood than adhesion of terrestrial climbing animals. Here we investigate the attachment of an aquatic insect larva (Blephariceridae), which clings to rocks in torrential streams using the only known muscle-actuated suction organs in the insect kingdom. We measured their attachment forces on well-defined rough substrates and found their adhesion was much less reduced by micro-roughness than terrestrial climbing insects. In vivo visualisation of the suction organs in contact with microstructured substrates revealed that they can mould around large asperities to form a seal. Moreover, we showed that spine-like microtrichia on the organ are stiff cuticular structures that only make tip contact on smooth and microstructured substrates. Our results highlight the performance and versatility of blepharicerid suction organs and introduce a new study system to explore biological suction.

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Functional morphology of suction discs and attachment performance of the Mediterranean medicinal leech (Hirudo verbanaCarena)

Cited by 38 publications

References 41 publications

Silent Pumpers: A Comparative Topical Overview of the Peristaltic Pumping Principle in Living Nature, Engineering, and Biomimetics

Silent Pumpers: A Comparative Topical Overview of the Peristaltic Pumping Principle in Living Nature, Engineering, and Biomimetics

Hirudiniasis in Cattle in Mpwapwa District, Dodoma Region of Tanzania

Extreme suction attachment performance from specialised insects living in mountain streams (Diptera: Blephariceridae)

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