The effect of different blood (goat and sheep) on sexual maturity, survival and the production of cocoons and larvae in oriental leech (Hirudo orientalis)

The growing demand for medicinal leeches around the world has increased the need for new leech resources. In order to determine the appropriate blood for sexual intercourse and the amount of cocoon production in oriental leech. For this purpose, 120 leeches with an average age of one week and an average weight of 0.1±0.04 in 2 treatments (feeding on goat and sheep blood) and each treatment with 3 repetitions were divided into 10-liter containers. To feed the leeches, the blood needed from the slaughterhouse was prepared and to prevent blood clotting, a blood vessel was taken and added to the blood of sodium heparin. To feed the leeches, the blood reached a temperature of 37 to 38 °c. For the first 48 hours after feeding to prevent loss and control of ammonia, container water was changed twice a day at a rate of 70%. Re-feeding was performed one month after the previous feeding and in 6 steps. In order to find out the sexuality of leeches, at the end of stages 5 and 6 of feeding, two leeches were randomly selected and described from each treatment. The results showed that the number of cocoons and larvae in goat-fed blood was significantly higher than in sheep-fed blood (p<0.05). The survival of goat-fed leeches was higher than that of sheep-fed blood, but there was no statistically significant difference. The results of this study indicate that leeches feed effectively on goat's blood.