Organisms

Leeches

Annelids of the class Hirudinea. Some species, the bloodsuckers, may become temporarily parasitic upon animals, including man. Medicinal leeches (HIRUDO MEDICINALIS) have been used therapeutically for drawing blood since ancient times.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

Annelids of the class Hirudinea. Some species, the bloodsuckers, may become temporarily parasitic upon animals, including man. Medicinal leeches (HIRUDO MEDICINALIS) have been used therapeutically for drawing blood since ancient times.

MeSH Record

Classification

Broader headings

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MeSH Record

See Also

MeSH Record

Synonyms

3 entry terms
  • Hirudinea
  • Hirudineas
  • Leeche

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

18 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings anatomy & histology, chemistry, classification, cytology, drug effects, embryology, enzymology, genetics, growth & development, immunology, metabolism, microbiology, parasitology, pathogenicity, physiology, radiation effects, ultrastructure, virology.

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Number

  1. B01w.050w.500w.091w.426w

MeSH Record

NLM Classification

QX 451

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Leeches. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D007865. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D007865
  2. Leeches. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech
  3. Leeches. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43012