Mulilo Misheck A, Siwila Joyce, Madoshi Philbert B, Silayo Richard S
The University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 32379 Lusaka, Zambia.
Livestock Training Agency, Mpwapwa Campus, P.O. Box 51, Mpwapwa, Dodoma, Tanzania.
Case Rep Vet Med. 2020 Mar 27;2020:3028345. doi: 10.1155/2020/3028345. eCollection 2020.
Hirudiniasis is a condition caused by infestation by leeches. Despite the annoyance, clinical signs, and associated lesions caused by leeches in both humans and animals, the extent of the problem in Tanzania is not well elucidated. Individual animals and people become infested when they drink, bath, or walk through contaminated water sources. Leech infestations are more common in rural areas where water is scarce especially during the dry season. In this report, clinical cases of hirudiniasis in twenty-seven (27) cattle in Mpwapwa, Tanzania, are presented. The report further reviews the morphological features of leeches and creates awareness among the affected cattle farmers and the general public. A total of two hundred (200) live cattle were examined; out of these, 27 cattle had live leeches. There were, on average, 3-8 leeches per animal. Affected cattle had wounds on the gums, buccal mucosa, root of the tongue, and under the tongue with copious amounts of blood-stained frothy discharge. Further, the affected animals had respiratory distress and were rolling their tongues. The leeches were manually removed from all the affected cattle, with uneventful recovery. Laboratory examination revealed segmented, dorsal-ventral flattened, cylindrical parasites which had posterior and anterior suckers. The leech infestation was linked to drinking water from a pond which was suspected to be contaminated with "undescribed organisms" as indicated by the farmers. A follow-up was made and revealed no new cases and complete recovery of the affected animals. Hirudiniasis is one of the neglected diseases in humans and livestock and, therefore, requires integrated efforts especially in areas where water is scarce during the dry season. It is anticipated that this case report will stimulate interest and more studies in the subject matter to understand the extent of the problem and document the species and distribution of leeches in Tanzania.
水蛭病是一种由水蛭寄生引起的病症。尽管水蛭会给人类和动物带来困扰、引发临床症状并造成相关损伤，但坦桑尼亚境内该问题的严重程度尚未得到充分阐明。当个体动物和人饮用、沐浴或穿过受污染的水源时，就会被水蛭寄生。水蛭寄生在农村地区更为常见，尤其是在旱季水资源匮乏的时候。在本报告中，介绍了坦桑尼亚姆普瓦普瓦地区27头奶牛患水蛭病的临床病例。该报告还进一步审视了水蛭的形态特征，并提高受影响的养牛户和公众的认识。总共检查了200头活牛；其中，27头牛身上有活水蛭。每头牛平均有3 - 8条水蛭。患病奶牛的牙龈、颊黏膜、舌根和舌下有伤口，并有大量带血的泡沫状分泌物。此外，患病动物出现呼吸窘迫，舌头不停地翻动。所有患病奶牛身上的水蛭均被人工摘除，随后康复情况良好。实验室检查发现，这些寄生虫呈分段状，背腹扁平，呈圆柱形，有前后吸盘。据农民称，水蛭寄生与饮用一个疑似被“未描述生物”污染的池塘水有关。进行了随访，结果显示没有新病例，患病动物完全康复。水蛭病是人类和家畜中被忽视的疾病之一，因此，尤其在旱季水资源匮乏的地区，需要各方共同努力。预计本病例报告将激发人们对该主题的兴趣，并促使开展更多研究，以了解问题的严重程度，并记录坦桑尼亚水蛭的种类和分布情况。
