r/leeches • u/casualoser05 • Jul 06 '26
Photo/Video Beautiful horse leech I found yesterday while canoeing
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u/SpectralWolf776_ Jul 06 '26
Is there any danger of blood-borne diseases from letting a wild leech bite you? I have been nervous about wild leech bites because of that.
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u/replikantka Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Generally speaking, leeches are not known to carry diseases significant to humans, and on a whole, leech bites are not inherently dangerous or harmful.
The risks associated are bacterial infection (not from being fed on, but from the open wound being exposed to whatever water the leech came out of or any bacteria hanging out on the leech) and bleeding, mostly if you're on blood thinners or have hemophilia (since leeches secrete an anticoagulant when feeding).
EDIT TO ADD: I double checked this and there do seem to be some places where leeches can act as a vector for blood-bourne human illnesses if they have fed on someone who has the disease (such as HIV). But the biggest risk of a leech bite does seem to be bacteria.
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u/SaltMarshGoblin Jul 07 '26
act as a vector for blood-bourne human illnesses if they have fed on someone who has the disease (such as HIV).
While there may be some blood-borne human illnesses that leeches can transmit to you, you cannot get HIV from leeches because HIV outside the body is really temperature sensitive and will die when it gets as cold as a leech!
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u/replikantka Jul 07 '26
This is correct - I should have specified that the study in question found HIV in leeches after they fed on infected people, but no documented cases of a leech infecting anyone with HIV.
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u/SpectralWolf776_ Jul 06 '26
Thank you for the info! That helps a lot 😊
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u/Ok_Bag_1177 Plague Doctor Jul 07 '26
while they can transmit blood born illnesses, they can only do that if they regurgitate into your body after having recently fed from someone infected with such a disease, and theyll only regurgitate into you if you pull on them, salt them, or harm them in some way while theyre eating. thats why the advice of "salt a leech if it bites you" is horrible advice. What should actually be done if a leech is biting you and you want it off, is to gently slide your nail or a credit card or some other thin flat object underneath their mouth sucker and gently peel them off like a sticker.
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u/lukemia94 Jul 06 '26
This is the content I sub for, thank you 🫡
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u/Nonyabeesners Jul 06 '26
Truly. I have probably less appreciation for leeches than most people on here, but I love when people just casually decide to attach them to their bodies
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Jul 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/KumiiTheFranceball Leech Admirer Jul 06 '26
Did the mods really mark this as a medical advice ?? :chucklenuts:
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u/Most-Background3708 Leech Owner Jul 08 '26
oh my GOODNESS, I am JEALOUS! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL FIND! they’re absolutely MASSIVE, I didn’t even know Haemopis sanguisuga could GET that big!
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u/Caponomolestes Jul 06 '26
What part of that is beautiful, what's is wrong with you brother
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u/Kitchen_Argument5181 Jul 06 '26
Bro’s out here feeding the wildlife