Leech (Limnatis nilotica) causing respiratory distress in a pregnant cow in Ilam province in Iran

IntroductionLeeches, a hermaphroditic, blood-sucking parasite arerarely reported in humans and animals as a cause of manyproblems. They vary in color, length and shape, and may beblack, brightly colored, or mottled. The leeches mainlyinhabit in ponds, lakes, and streams. The Limnatis niloticaspecies is a blood-sucking parasite that lives in stagnantwater in ponds and lakes. The strong jaws and muscularsuckers at the anterior and posterior ends of L. nilotica arethe main sign for detection. This species is commonlyfound existing in Southern Europe, North Africa, and theMiddle East including Iran (Bahmani et al. 2006). Theseleeches live in hosts and can cause anemia and may act asvectors of animal pathogens. The main symptoms includehaemoptysis, snoring, dyspnea, cough, dysphagia, andbleeding from the vagina (Bani Ismail et al. 2007;Estambale et al. 1992; Grosser and Pesic 2006; Yaghmaee2000). Hirudiniasis is not common in animal and human,but sporadic reports of leech infestations in humans andanimals are available from the Middle East and adjoiningcountries. In some reports in human beings, leeches as aforeign body and parasite in the respiratory tract havebeen reported, and in animals, leeches infesting the nasalcavity were reported in one camel in Iraq (Al-Ani andAl-Shareefi1995; Cheikh-Rouhou et al. 2000). In this study,a 3-year-old pregnant cow referred to a private clinic in theDehloran suburbs in Iran with acute respiratory distress andinappetite.Case reportA 3-year-old pregnant cow referred to a private clinic in theDehloran suburbs in Iran with acute respiratory distress andinappetite. The history of the case revealed that the mainfeed of the cow had been hay and grazing in pasture, andfor drinking water, a stream and sump were used 48 hprevious to the time of referral; the cow displayed severediscomfort, with little appetite, abnormal breathing, andrespiratory sounds. The case had no background of anydisorder. Examination of the case showed increasingrespiratory rates, bleeding from the mouth, and reluctanceto walk.The temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate wereincreased slowly. Rectal examination manifested noabnormal signs and the fetus palpated and was alive.The mouth of the cow was fully opened, and the mouthcavity was fully explored. One leech was found attachedto the right-side cheek and tongue (Fig. 1). The leecheswere removed by using forceps carefully without theprescription of any drugs, and after examination, thespecies of leech was identified asL. nilotica.Thestrongjaws and muscular suckers at the anterior and posteriorends, the dark-green color surface with rows of greenspots on the dorsal surface, and yellowish-orange anddark-green bands on either side with a 100-mm lengthwere the main signs for detection of L. nilotica species.Investigations revealed that the animal used to drink waterfrom a nearby pond that had rainwater. The owner of thepresent case was educated not to allow the other animalsto drink water from the infested pond.