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The Effect of a Combination of Penicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Tetracycline, and Lincomycin Antibiotics on Reducing Regurgitation and Treating Segmental Contraction in the Eastern Leech (Hirudo orientalis)
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Sepide Firouzbakhsh   , Mohammad Sudagar * , Sajedeh Heydari , Mobin Maghsoudlou Kamali , Mahyar Yousefi Siahkalroudi |
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Abstract: (300 Views) |
Introduction: Regurgitation of blood and body constriction are among the main causes of mortality in leech breeding and rearing farms. This study was conducted to determine the effect of a selected antibiotic combination on reducing the incidence of regurgitation and body constriction in the eastern medicinal leech (Hirudo orientalis).
Materials & Methods: The experiment was carried out over four weeks using 90 specimens of H. orientalis. The leeches were divided into three groups: control (without antibiotic), Treatment 1 (cosmetic-sized leeches exposed to the combined antibiotic solution), and Treatment 2 (medical-sized leeches exposed to the combined antibiotic solution). Each treatment was conducted in triplicate. The antibiotic mixture consisted of penicillin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and lincomycin at doses of 1, 1, 2, and 4 g, respectively. From this mixture, 2 g was weighed, dissolved in 2.5 L of water, and then 260 mL of the resulting solution was added to each treatment. The final concentrations of antibiotics in the treatment solution were as follows: penicillin and ciprofloxacin each at 11.5 mg/L, tetracycline at 23 mg/L, and lincomycin at 46 mg/L. Daily observations included locomotor activity, regurgitation, body constriction, and recovery to the normal state.
Results: The results showed that regurgitation after feeding was completely stopped in Treatments 1 and 2, whereas it was continuously observed in the control group. Improvement in body constriction symptoms was observed in approximately 20% of leeches in Treatments 1 and 2, showing signs of reduced swelling, color normalization, and recovery to the natural condition. However, 80% of the leeches still showed mild to moderate symptoms. The results also indicated that the recovery rate in cosmetic-sized leeches was faster than in medical-sized ones. Data were analyzed using ANOVA to determine the significance of differences (α = 0.05).
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the beneficial effects of the antibiotic combination in controlling symptoms associated with bacterial infections in leeches, particularly regurgitation. |
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| Keywords: Eastern leech, Antibiotic combination, Regurgitation, Ciprofloxacin, Tetracycline, Lincomycin |
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Full-Text [PDF 821 kb]
(87 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2026/06/5 | Accepted: 2026/05/31 | Published: 2026/09/7
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