Sucking of human blood byPlacobdella costata(O. F. Müller, 1846) (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae): Case study with notes on body form

Abstract

Four events of Placobdella costata sucking human blood are described. Human blood was sucked by both adult and juvenile specimens of P. costata. The feeding strategies of juveniles under parental care are presented. New data on juvenile specimens' body form are presented. Information on the potential role of mammals in dispersion and habitat preferences of leeches P. costata is considered.

Theromyzon maculosum (Rathke, 1862) as a vector of potentially pathogenic fungi in aquatic ecosystems

“…T. tessulatum was observed attached to a human eye and found inside a human larynx ( Auw-Haedrich et al, 1998 ), although Kuehnemund and Bootz (2006) suggest the leech was more likely a species of Hirudo . It should be emphasized, however, that an expansion of the food base among various species of leeches has been observed ( Cichocka et al, 2021 ). Kang et al (2016) showed the preying of the terrestrial leeches Haemadipsa rjukjuana on human, mouse, weasel and birds and confirmed that various live bacteria or viruses can remain in the gut of leeches.…”