Hirudotherapy is one of the alternative methods that is nowadays being experienced again. It is a very old method that was used in the Middle Ages, when healers placed a leech on the wound. The European medicinal leeche is used because its saliva contains many bioactive substances that help with vascular diseases, affect stomach secretion, and break down blood clots. Among other things, saliva of this leech has antibacterial, antibiotic and anticoagulant effects. The main aim of this thesis was to increase the awareness of people about hirudotherapy and its beneficial influence on the human organism. From this main goal, we set four other objectives, namely to map the opinions of respondents on hirudotherapy, then to map the effect of hirudotherapy on the health of respondents. The third one was to find out what information is required by respondents undergoing hirudotherapy and find out what knowledge and skills a nurse must have as a hirudotherapy therapist. The first part of the diploma thesis is theoretical, where we focus on definitions of individual terms, i.e. hirudotherapy, alternative medicine, etc. The latest news in this area are added in the individual chapters. In the research part of the thesis we evaluate the interviews conducted with the patients who have undergone hirudotherapy. The work is supplemented by individual case reports of patients and photographic documentation of each case. In addition, we are attempting to summarize the latest findings and trends in hirudotherapy with the intention of motivating the reader to believe that real scientific progress is taking place in this area, from which a positive shift in hirudotherapy can be derived in the future. The research part of the thesis was realized on the basis of a qualitative survey. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews. Interviews with patients were conducted in three stages. In the first stage, we interviewed patients before hirudotherapy. The second stage was focused on interviews with patients during hirudotherapy, where we asked about the patient's concerns and feelings and informed about regimens after therapy. At the last stage after the end of the application, we evaluated the effect of hirudotherapy on the organism, whether the problem had improved and if so, whether to continue in hirudotherapy. The results of the survey show that in most cases, hirudotherapy patients were positively affected. Each patient experienced some improvement in health. If the problem had not been solved with hirudotherapy, we managed to improve something else in these patients. Surprisingly, most patients were actively seeking information about this issue before completing hirudotherapy. The results of this thesis point to the fact that hirudotherapy is largely unknown to most of the population. Most of the participating patients learned about hirudotherapy from us. For example, many of them thought that the leech only sucked blood and did not know its main function. Another important finding was that hirudotherapy should be performed by an experienced hirudotherapy therapist, in the best case a trained medical practitioner. In case of allergic reactions to hirudotherapy and high bleeding, various complications could be avoided.

The reproductive biology of the brooding leech Helobdella stagnalis (Linnaeus) in Utah Lake was studied for an 18 month period from June 1970 to December 1971. In determining the annual reproductive cycle, the number of adult leeches carrying eggs or young were counted at weekly intervals during the reproductive season and monthly during the rest of the year. Gonadal staging data from histological sections were correlated with the field collection data. It was found that two broods of young were produced by the adult animals during the reproductive season. Continuous water temperatures were recorded at the study site throughout the period of this investigation. Temperature was found to have an effect on the rate of gametogenesis, development, and the number of broods produced. The gonads have an off-on type of activity. When the testes are active, the ovaries are dormant and vice-versa.

Haematophagous parasites and disease vectors such as leeches, ticks, mites, lice, bed bugs, mosquitoes, and myiasis-causing fly larvae are common health problems in Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). A main aim of my field work in Lao PDR in 2006-2010 was to document traditional knowledge among different ethnic groups about plants that people use to repel or to kill blood-feeding invertebrates. We carried out structured interviews in 66 villages comprising 17 ethnic groups, covering a range of ethnic group, throughout Lao PDR and recorded a total of 92 plant species - in 123 different plant-ectoparasite combinations - that are used as traditional repellents and/or as “pesticides” to kill "pest" invertebrates. Traditional use was confirmed in the scientific literature for 74 of these plant species, and for an additional 13 species based on literature on closely related species. We concluded that repellents and pesticides from many plant species are commonly used in the Lao countryside. We also investigated traditionally used Lao plants for their activity to repel or to kill certain disease vectors and parasites. Target organisms were mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae), fly larvae (Diptera, Cyclorrhapha) in fermented fish production, and terrestrial blood-sucking leeches (Hirudinea, Haemadipsidae). The potential mosquito repellent activities of essential oils of Croton roxburghii (Euphorbiaceae), Hyptis suaveolens (Lamiaceae), and Litsea cubeba (Lauraceae) were evaluated in the field near Vientiane. Oils at concentrations of 1.7-6.7 µg/cm2 were significantly repellent to Aedes, Armigeres and Culex attracted to human baits. The activities against fly larvae, infesting fermenting fish, of three plant species, Tadehagi triquetrum (Fabaceae), Uraria crinita (Fabaceae) and Bambusa multiplex (Poaceae) were investigated: When fresh material of the plants was added on top of fermenting fish infested with fly larvae significant proportions of the larvae were repelled or killed. The total protective effect, i.e., repellent and killing effect combined, of T. triquetrum, U. crinita, and B. multiplex was 60-83 %, 77-90 %, and 60-93 %, respectively. Field evaluation of the potential leech repellent activities of water extracts of Sapindus rarak (Sapindaceae), Catunaregam spathulifolia (Rubiaceae) and Vernonia elaeagnifolia, (Asteraceae) impregnated on stockings and worn by persons in two leech-infested biotopes revealed leech repellent activities of 82.6%, 62.6% and 63.0%, respectively. The corresponding repellencies of deltamethrin and diethyl-3-methyl-benzamide (DEET) were 73.1% and 88.4%, respectively. Identification of the active components in certain of the plants with the ultimate aim to develop more optimal, less costly repellents, insecticides, acaricides, and anti-leech compounds as alternatives to synthetic repellents and pesticides against blood-feeding insects, ticks, mites, and leeches is in progress.

Orientador: Marlene Tiduko Ueta / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T04:30:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Molina_JuliaPereira_M.pdf: 1442066 bytes, checksum: e8ad2a162950fbe267341b74c08ad0f7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Os tripanossomas já foram reportados em diversas espécies de peixes de água salgada e doce, sendo a maioria das espécies descritas com base nas características morfológicas. Tripanossomas parasitos de peixes são heteroxenos e são transmitidos por hirudíneos. Este trabalho tem como objetivos caracterizar a prevalência e densidade da infecção por Trypanosoma sp. presentes no sangue de três espécies de cascudos do rio Mogi Guaçu, Cachoeira de Emas, município de Pirassununga, SP e caracterizar morfologicamente e por técnicas moleculares os exemplares de Trypanosoma encontrados no sangue dos cascudos. Entre fevereiro de 2008 e fevereiro de 2009 foram coletados 256 exemplares de cascudos sendo 60 Hypostomus albopunctatus, 100 Hypostomus regani e 96 Hypostomus strigaticeps. O sangue foi coletado por punção cardíaca e alíquotas de 8?l foram retiradas para confecção de esfregaço em camada delgada, que foram fixados em metanol e corados por Giemsa, para a determinação da positividade e densidade dos tripanossomas. Após a biometria e coleta do sangue os peixes foram marcados e metade foi acondicionada em um tanque de criação do CEPTA/ ICMBIO para verificação da manutenção da infecção e o restante foi devolvido ao rio. A prevalência geral de tripanossomas foi de 47,6 % e densidade média geral de 0,75 parasitas/ µl de sangue. A prevalência ao longo do ano apresentou diferenças significativas apenas para Hypostomus regani (p=0,0054) e Hypostomus strigaticeps (p=0,0007). A densidade média de parasitas não apresentou diferenças significativas entre as três espécies de peixes analisados, assim como a variação mensal da densidade por espécie de peixes. Hirudíneos do gênero Placobdella sp. foram coletados da superfície do corpo e da boca de H regani e H. strigaticeps para extração do DNA, os oligonucleotídeos utilizados (S-1842 e S-1843) amplificaram um fragmento de 1000pb do gene 18S rRNA dos tripanossomas isolados de hirudíneos coletados em H regani e H. strigaticeps. Dos 19 peixes recapturados após dois meses apenas três se mantiveram positivos. Foram medidos 255 tripanossomas sendo 66 de H. albopunctatus, 64 de H. regani e 95 de H. strigaticeps e os valores foram comparados com os de outras espécies de tripanossomas encontradas em peixes do gênero Hypostomus. Os parasitas encontrados nas três espécies de peixes apresentaram características morfológicas semelhantes. Foi estabelecida a frequência de ocorrência de acordo com a variação do comprimento do corpo para evidência de pleomorfismo. Os dados morfológicos mostram que Trypanosoma sp.1 e Trypanosoma sp.2 podem ser considerados de espécies diferentes; as análises evidenciaram a presença de pleomorfismo nos tripanossomas encontrados nas três espécies de peixes. / Abstract: Trypanosomes have been reported in several species of fish that inhabit salt and fresh waters. The majority of these protozoan species are described based on morphologic features. The parasites are heteroxenic and are transmitted by leeches. This work aims to characterize the prevalence and density of infection by Trypanosoma sp. present in the blood of three species of armored catfish collected from Mogi Guaçu river (Cachoeira das Emas, Pirassununga city, SP) and characterize morphologically and by molecular techniques the trypanosomes found in the blood of catfish. Between february 2008 and february 2009, 256 specimens of armored catfish were collected, being 60 Hypostomus albopunctatus, 100 Hypostomus regain, and 96 Hypostomus strigaticeps. The blood was collected by cardiac puncture and a sample of 8µl was removed to realize blood smears on microscope slides. The slides were fixed in methanol and stained with giemsa for posterior analysis on light microscopy for determination of positive presence and density of trypanosomas. After biometric analysis and blood collection fish were marked half of the fish marked were maintened in a tank of CEPTA/ ICMBIO for future verification of the infeccion maintence and the other half were retorned to the river. It was found a prevalence of 47,6% and the average density of 0,75 parasitas/µl of blood. The prevalence during the year presented significative differences only for Hypostomus regani (p=0,0054) e Hypostomus strigaticeps (p=0,0007). The average density of parasites showed no significant differences among the three fish species analyzed and the monthly variation of density per species of fish. Also, leeches of the genus Placobdella sp. were collected from the surface of the body and mouth of armored catfish for DNA extraction. The primers used (S-1842 and S- 1843) amplified a 1000bp fragment of the 18S rRNA gene of trypanosomes isolated from leeches collected in H regani and H. strigaticeps. Of the 19 fish recaptured after two months only three remained positive. Therein, 255 trypanosomes were measured being 66 H. albopunctatus, 64 H. regani and 95 H. strigaticeps and values were compared with those of other parasite species found in different species of fish. The parasites found in the three species of fish presented similar morphological characteristics. The frequency of occurrence was established according to the variation in body length as evidence of pleomorphism. Nevertheless morphological data show that Trypanosoma sp.1 and Trypanosoma p.2 can be considered distinct species, the analysis revealed the presence of pleomorphism in trypanosomes found in the three species of fish. / Mestrado / Parasitologia / Mestre em Parasitologia