Indigenous bacterial flora of medicinal leeches and their susceptibilities to 15 antimicrobial agents

• Published in: Journal of medical microbiology Vol. 45; no. 6; pp. 490 - 493
• Main Authors: Nonomura, H, Kato, N, Ohno, Y, Itokazu, M, Matsunaga, T, Watanabe, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01-12-1996; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Aeromonas; Aeromonas - drug effects; Aeromonas - isolation & purification; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Enterobacteriaceae - drug effects; Enterobacteriaceae - isolation & purification; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gram-Negative Bacteria - drug effects; Gram-Negative Bacteria - isolation & purification; Hirudinaria manillensis; Hirudo medicinalis; Leeches - microbiology; Microbial ecology; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Normal microflora of man and animals. Rumen; Pseudomonas - drug effects; Pseudomonas - isolation & purification; Staphylococcus - drug effects; Staphylococcus - isolation & purification; Yersinia - drug effects; Yersinia - isolation & purification; Sensitivity resistance; Hirudo medicinalis; Bacteria; Microflora; Hirudinea; Invertebrata; Antibacterial agent; Annelida; Surface
• ISSN: 0022-2615; 1473-5644
• DOI: 10.1099/00222615-45-6-490

* Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu 500, Japan
Institute of Anaerobic Bacteriology, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu 500, Japan
Received January 25, 1996
Revision received April 29, 1996.
Surface bacterial flora, as well as homogenates, of medical leeches, Hirudo medicinalis and Hirudinaria manillensis , were surveyed and the susceptibility of these isolates to 15 antimicrobial agents was examined. Aeromonas spp. were isolated from all leeches, and Pseudomonas fluorescens and other glucose-non-fermenting gram-negative rods (NF-GNR) were frequent isolates. Isolates were highly resistant to cephalosporins but susceptible to carbapenems, aminoglycosides and ofloxacin. The results indicate that prophylaxis with antimicrobial agents active against Aeromonas spp. and NF-GNR is necessary to avoid opportunist infections caused by indigenous leech flora during medical leech therapy on immunocompromised patients.