Similarly to other strict blood feeders, leeches from the Haementeria genus (Hirudinida:
Glossiphoniidae) have established a symbiotic association with bacteria harbored …

The medicinal leech has established a long-term mutualistic association with Aeromonas
veronii, a versatile bacterium which can also display free-living waterborne and fish-or …

The gut bacteria of the North American medicinal leech, Macrobdella decora, were
characterized. Biochemical tests and DNA sequences indicated that Aeromonas jandaei is …

Transmission plays a key role in the evolution of symbiosis. Mixed mode transmission
combines horizontal and vertical mechanisms for symbiont acquisition. However, features …

Gastrointestinal microbiomes play important roles in the health and nutrition of animals and
humans. The medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, serves as a powerful model for the study of …

Animals house a community of bacterial symbionts in their digestive tracts that contribute to
their well being. The medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, has a remarkably simple gut …

ABSTRACT The European medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, harbors simple microbial
communities in the digestive tract and bladder. The colonization history, infection frequency …

The medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, is one of the simplest naturally occurring models for
digestive-tract symbioses, where only two bacterial species, Aeromonas veronii bv. sobria (γ …

Most digestive tracts contain a complex consortium of beneficial microorganisms, making it
challenging to tease apart the molecular interactions between symbiont and host. The …

The evolutionary history of leeches is employed as a general framework for understanding
more than merely the systematics of this charismatic group of annelid worms, and serves as …