J. THE BITE AND BITE REACTIONS

by | Hirudotherapy In Plastic Surgery

THE LEECH BITE AND BITE REACTIONS

The apical sucker surrounds the buccal cavity and is composed of three jaws, which are directed in three different directions. Thus, the bite of the leech leaves a mark that is an inverted Y inside a circle. Each jaw has 60-100 teeth that are connected to the salivary gland, which injects saliva into the skin during a blood meal. The posterior sucker is used for attachment only.  On healthy human skin the blood feeding last for about 30-45 min., large adults can consume 5-15 ml of blood and detached thereafter spontaneously.

Local pain is felt at the moment of leech bite but lasts for a short time only as most probably analgesics are injected with the saliva into the skin. In any case this is even less relevant in the recently reattached digits and flaps, where the skin is anesthetic.

A transient itching and erythema can appear in the bite site, which can last for few days. Small blood spots (ecchymoses) can develop on the bite site.  When left undisturbed, the scars, which appear after the bite, disappear within 1-3 weeks. If the site is superinfected because of intensive scratching, the scars may remain for longer periods [35].

A. HISTORY
E. BIOLOGY
I. APPLICATION TO THE SKIN
M. CASE REPORTS
Q. MAINTENANCE IN THE CLINIC
V. EXTERNAL LINKS
B. LEECHES
F. THE SALIVA
J. THE BITE AND BITE REACTIONS
N. SIDE EFFECT
R. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS
W. REFERENCES
C. MEDICINAL LEECHES
G. USE OF LEECHES IN MEDICINE
K. PROPHYLAXIS
O. CONTRAINDICATIONS
T. TRAINING COURSES
D. MORPHOLOGY
H. LEECHES IN PLASTIC SURGERY
L. TREATMENT
P. REMOVAL OF THE LEECHES
U. VETERINARY MEDICINE