1. Leech bite

2. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Introduction
Leeches are Annelids (or segmented worms) and are closely related to earthworms.
There are over 100 different leech species in Australia.
They have 34 segments, with a powerful sucker at the end.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

3. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

4. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Introduction
Australian leeches vary in size from 7mm up to 200mm when extended.
They are commonly found in dimly lit places.
Most leeches live in freshwater but some live on land, in damp areas of tropical rainforests.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

5. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Biology
They are hermaphrodites (they have both male and female sex organs).
They die after they have reproduced once or twice.
Most leeches don't really rely solely on drinking blood as they are mainly carnivores.
Leeches that suck blood are called Haemophagic (blood/to eat) leeches
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

6. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
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Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

7. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
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Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

8. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
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Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

9. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
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Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

10. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Introduction
Leeches need symbiotic bacteria to help digest their blood meals which can take weeks or even months.
Leech bodies are covered with receptors so they can detect warm blooded animals by sight, smell, vibrations, carbon dioxide and temperature.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

11. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Biology
During the dry season, they often burrow themselves in the ground, where they hibernate without water.
They simply shrivel up and become rigid, their bodies become very dry.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

12. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Biology
If you sprinkle them with water, they recover completely within ten minutes.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

13. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Behaviour
The leech waits in foliage or on the forest floor to attach itself to a passing warm-blooded animal.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

14. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Behaviour
It will wave its head and body around, looking for signals.
They climb the victim’s legs and attach themselves to the first area of bare flesh.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

15. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Behaviour
Once the leech is on the host it looks for a protected spot.
It holds on tightly with the larger sucker at its mouth, then cuts a hole in the host with its sharp teeth.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

16. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Behaviour
The leech releases an anaesthetic in its saliva which numbs the skin and keeps the host from knowing it is sucking their blood.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

17. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Anti-coagulant
It also release an anti-coagulant (blood thinner) called hirudin which stops blood from clotting and keeps it flowing for as long as the leech is feeding.
This anti-coagulant also stops the victim’s blood from clotting in the gut of the leech and giving them digestive problems.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

18. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Feeding
Leeches can consume several times their own weight in just one meal.
It can be up to five times heavier than it was at the beginning of its meal.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

19. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Feeding
When they are full of blood they drop off and find a dark spot to rest and digest it
A leech can survive several months to a year before feeding again if the meal is large.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

20. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
How to avoid leeches
It is difficult to outwit leeches!
Avoid brushing against low vegetation in damp or wet places.
Cover your socks and shoes with eucalyptus oil or soap to repel them.
You can also wear pantyhose on the outside of socks and long pants to keep leeches off your legs.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

21. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Case study (April 20, 2009)
A woman had been gardening in her suburban backyard when she flicked some moist soil into her left eye.
After multiple attempts at wiping the dirt away, she felt some movement in front of her eye and called for her husband's help.
He saw a leech four to five millimetres long pass across her cornea and under the upper lid.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

22. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Case study (April 20, 2009)
He attempted unsuccessfully to remove the leech with salted tap water at home and then took her to the hospital.
Doctors at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney successfully removed the leech from the woman's eye and in the process made medical history.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

23. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Case study (April 20, 2009)
They said it was the world's first documented case of a leech being removed using a 3 per cent saline solution.
"Removal of leeches using forceps risks secondary infection, and use of undissolved salt crystals is likely to cause abrasion to the eye.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

24. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Case study (April 20, 2009)
"We believe that our method of removal using three percent saline is achievable in most hospital settings."
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Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

25. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
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Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

26. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Management
Do not pull leeches off. This can tear the skin and cause a severe wound which may then become infected.
Use salt on leech to help carefully remove.
Treat the wound as a bleeding injury
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

27. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Note
The hirudin might cause the bite to bleed for hours or days, and the bites are often itchy.
While this may sound bad, being bitten by a leech isn't deadly.
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training

28. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Questions
12 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training