ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Infectious Diseases
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1649736
Evaluation of Re-Used Medicinal Leeches as a Potential Source for Nosocomial MDR Bacterial Infections in Canines
Provisionally accepted
Mariajesus Soula1*
Kara Berke1David A Upchurch1Laura A Barbur2Abigail L Huber1Raghavendra G Amachawadi1- 1Kansas State University, Manhattan, United States
- 2Friendship Hospital for Animals, Washington, United States
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Objectives: Leech therapy is commonly used in medicine as a treatment for venous congestion. Since a concern with reusing leeches is potential spread of infections, it is recommended to discard leeches after use. If a leech harbored bacteria from one patient in its gastrointestinal (GI) tract, it could transmit them to another patient, potentially, serving as a vector for multidrug resistant (MDR) infections. The objectives of this study were to determine if MDR Staphylococcus aureus can be transmitted from inoculated blood into a leech, how long can the bacteria can persist within the leech and its environment, and if leeches can transmit the bacteria during refeeding. Animals: 63 leeches were split into eight treatment groups and one control group. Methods: Treatment leeches were fed canine blood inoculated with an MDR strain of Staphylococcus aureus while control leeches were fed clean canine blood. Cultures were obtained at 1 day, 1 week, and 1-, 2-, 3-and 4-months post-inoculation. Culture samples were taken from the aquarium water, GI contents, and blood that the leeches were allowed to refeed on. Cultures were evaluated for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. Results: All water samples were negative except for one tank at seven days after feeding. After two months and three months, all GI tracts and blood meal samples were negative, respectively. Clinical significance: Leeches will harbor MDR Staphylococcus aureus after inoculation. This bacterium is not detectable in the water after 7 days or in the leech and blood meal after 3 months. Further studies should be conducted to determine the reproducibility of these results given the novel complications identified throughout the course of our study.
Keywords: leech application, canine, MRSA - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, wound, Infection
Received: 18 Jun 2025; Accepted: 14 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Soula, Berke, Upchurch, Barbur, Huber and Amachawadi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mariajesus Soula, msoula@vet.k-state.edu
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.