2018.06.01

Leech kids obtained under artificial conditions at the Institute of Zoology are transferred to Mingachevir scientific-experimental station

The laboratory researches have been conducted on breeding biotechnology of leeches at the Laboratory of Applied Zoology of the Institute of Zoology of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) for three years.

Approximately 400 leech kids were obtained from the barracks got from cocoons in August and September of last year. In April 2018, up to 20 cocoons were obtained, of which 17 leech kids (14-21 individuals) were obtained. 86 leech kids were obtained in general from cocoons appeared in April. Leech kids were stored in special containers in the laboratory conditions. During that period their water was changed, and kids were fed with fresh blood and spleen every 10 days. At present, they are in good health. They are transferred to the Mingachevir scientific-experimental station of the Institute for the maintenance of leech in the natural environment.

It should be noted that the use of leeches in medicine for the treatment of various diseases is known by very early age. There are also reports in stone inscriptions. For the first time, some illnesses have been treated in ancient Egypt by using of leeches. Ancient Greek manuscripts and historical pictures prove the use of leech therapy (hirudotherapy) in treatment in the past. Hirudotherapy has a unique tradition in Azerbaijan. It is no coincidence that Azerbaijan was the main provider of leeches in the former Soviet Union. In the 1970s, about 1.5 million leeches were exported annually. In the present, treatment with leeches and the areas of application of chemical, cosmetic, pharmacological, and so on products obtained from them are continuously increasing. From this point of view, the demand for leeches also increases rapidly. Naturally, the natural resources of the leeches are unable to meet this global need. Thus, in Azerbaijan, the leeches are intensively delivered through illicit ways. This leads to the serious depletion of their natural resources and even the threat of the extinction of the offspring in some parts of the republic. In addition to illegal supplies of leeches in the extinction of natural resources and destruction as a biological species, it is unacceptable that global pollution and anthropogenic interference with natural ecosystems also have a serious impact.