1-Young Researchers and Elites Club of Iran, Isfahan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran , damyar.info@gmail.com
2- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
3- Iranian Leech Industry Knowledge-Based Group, Isfahan, Iran |
Introduction: According to the development of the fisheries sector in the country, leech therapy has a long history in traditional medicine, but leech breeding and propagation is a new science that has a young history in the country. A period of leech breeding from larvae to market must feed on blood more than 4 times. One of the most frequent cases of losses in the farm is after each feeding, which causes many leeches to transform from a healthy form to a deformed form, increasing the mortality rate. today, the role of immunity in the management of farmed leech diseases by increasing the strength of the leech's innate immune system is undeniable, which should focus on controlling diseases in the aquatic environment using the membrane immune system and through the consumption of healthy blood and the use of natural plant materials instead of chemical antibiotics.
Materials and Method :In this study, 100 leeches from patients with deforming disease and a control group were divided into 5 treatments (control, treatment containing 1.5 ml of extract, treatment containing 3 ml of extract, treatment containing 6 ml of extract, treatment containing 9 ml of extract) and 4 replications over 75 days with an average base weight of 2.5 g in a completely randomized design. the same mixture of herbal extracts of cashew, cinnamon and oak was kept in an aquatic environment and were charged daily and the water was changed every day. The weight and microbial load on the body surface of the leeches and the survival and deformity status of the leeches were also examined.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that the consumption of herbal extract did not show significant changes in the weight of the leeches at the end of the period. Also, the treatment that had the most positive response to the doses was the 9 ml treatment of herbal extract, which showed the lowest microbial load. with increasing the dose of herbal extract, the response to the disease increased, the mortality decreased, and the survival of the leeches increased. Also, regarding the morphological parameter of the leech, the results showed that the consumption concentration of 6 and 9 ml had the greatest effect on restoring the deformity of the leeches and improving their physical condition and transforming them into healthy and smooth leeches. Overall, the results showed that consuming a mixture of herbal extracts of sweet almond leaves, cinnamon, and oak containing phenols and tannins, which have antioxidant and antibacterial properties, can improve the immune and physical conditions of leeches and ensure their health without causing side effects during their life cycle. So far, no experimental design has been conducted on the morphological disease of Iranian leech in the country, but overall the results show that increasing the dosage of herbal extract (concentration of 9 ml) has been able to have a better performance on leeches than other experimental groups. Also, the active ingredients in herbal extract are known to have the power to inhibit bacteria, prevent inflammation, regenerate tissue and mucous membranes, which causes greater flexibility. It also strengthens the tendencies (reproduction, nutrition, physical activities, etc.) of leeches and makes them resistant to microbial infections. In the presence of bacterial or fungal infections, it has very positive effects on their immune system, which is even able to bind to heavy metals in the water and make them harmless, which increases the quality of the water, which can directly interfere with the distribution of the microbial load on the leech's body surface.
Conclusion: The importance of aquaculture in the leech sector has been greatly strengthened today. global warming and the complete drying of natural habitats, the decline in the fishing leech population, and increased demand have led to an increase in the global leech rate, which confirms the scenario that leech breeding and reproduction can be beneficial and profitable in the long term, which is currently a relatively unknown field that requires extensive scientific research to promote and develop but due to the fact that today in our country and even in the world there is no special medicine or supplement for leech diseases, the use of herbal supplements has been able to improve the condition of sick leeches(Deformity disease (locking)) to some extent and prevent widespread losses in the fields of this precious animal, so instead of using chemical antibiotics that have a fatal effect on the digestive flora of the leech digestive system and cause antibiotic resistance, there is a need for extensive research on other medicinal plants in the aquatic field on leech diseases to shed light on leech diseases be a pioneer in the industry.
Acknowledgment: The authors of this article express their gratitude to the field and laboratory personnel of Shahrekord University, Mr. Engineer Rahimi, the head of the science and technology park of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, and the experts who helped us to provide the conditions for this research.
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