Abdi, K., Jalali, B., Moayedi, A., Naem, N., 1997. Investigation and identification of four new species of leech from Mahabad Dam Lake. Pajouhesh Va Sazandgi 36, 124-127. (In Persian).
Abdullah, S., Dar, L. M., Rashid, A., Tewari, A., 2012. Hirudotherapy/Leech therapy: applications and indications in surgery. Archives of Clinical Experimental Surgery 1(3), 172-180. DOI:10.5455/aces.20120402072447.
Ahmad, J., Azeez, A., Alam, M. A., Baseer, R., 2024. Effect of leech therapy in dermatophytosis: A randomized standard controlled trial. Brain Behavior and Immunity Integrative 8, 1-9. DOI.org/10.1016/j.bbii.2024.100090 100090.
Aminov, R., Aminova, A., Frolov, A., Makyeyeva, L., 2025. Optimal artificial conditions for keeping and breeding medicinal leeches Hirudo verbana and Hirudo orientalis. Annals of Parasitology 71, 79-83. DOI: 10.17420/ap71.549.
AOAC, 1980. Official Methods of Analysis, 13th edition. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Washington, USA.
APHA, 1995. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 19th edition. American Public Health Association, Washington, USA.
Authman, M.M., Abbas, H.H., 2007. Accumulation and distribution of copper and zinc in both water and some vital tissues of two fish species (Tilapia zillii and Mugil cephalus) of Lake Qarun, Fayoum province, Egypt. Pakistan Journal of Biological Science 10(13), 2106-2122. DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2007.2106.2122.
Borda, E., Siddall, M.E., 2004. Arhynchobdellida (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Hirudinida): phylogenetic relationships and evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30(1), 213-225. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2003.09.002.
Brix, K.V., Gerdes, R.M., Adams, W.J., Grosell, M., 2006. Effects of copper, cadmium, and zinc on the hatching success of brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 51(4), 580-583. DOI: 10.1007/s00244-005-0244-z.
Dehghani, R., Hasanbeiki, O., Pourgholi, M., Asgari, J., 2014. Naragh suburb, center of Iran; a natural habitat of Hirudo medicinalis. International Archives of Health Sciences 1(1), 5-8.
De schamphelaere, K.A.C., Forres, I., Dierckens, K., Sorgeloosb, P., Janssen, C.R., 2007. Chronic toxicity of dietary copper to Daphnia magna. Aquatic Toxicology 81(4), 409-418. DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2007.01.002.
De schamphelaere, K.A.C., Janssen, C.R., 2004. Effects of dissolved organic carbon concentration and source, pH, and water hardness on chronic toxicity of copper to Daphnia magna. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 23(5), 1115-1122. DOI: 10.1897/02-593.
Elliott, J.M., 2008. Population size, weight distribution and food in a persistent population of the rare medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis. Freshwater Biology 53(8), 1502-1512. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2008.01978.x.
Elliott, J.M., Kutschera, U., 2011. Medicinal leeches: historical use, ecology, genetics and conservation. Freshwater Biological Association 4(1), 21-41. DOI: 10.1608/FRJ-4.1.417.
Elliott, J.M., Mann, K.M., 1979. A key to the British freshwater leeches: with notes on their life cycles and ecology. Freshwater Biological Association Scientific Publication. ISBN 13: 9780900386381, 1-72.
Gebhardt, K.A., 1976. Effects of heavy metals (cadmium, copper, and mercury) on reproduction, growth, and survival of brine shrimp (Artemia salina). Master's thesis, Utah State University.
Gholami, A.A., 2005. A study on the systematics and habitats of leeches in northern Iran. Master's thesis. Field: Animal Biosystematics. University of Tehran. 86 p. (In Persian)
Gouda, H. A., 2006. The effect of peritrich ciliates on some freshwater leeches from Assiut, Egypt. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 93, 143–149. DOI.org/10.1016/j.jip.2006.06.005.
Grosser, C., Pesic, V., 2008. Dina farsa sp. (Annelida, Hirudinea: Erpobdellidae) - a new leech species from Iran. Lauterbornia Journal 65, 15-26.
Hosseini, M., Jadidi, A., Derakhshan Barjoei, M.M., Salehi, M., 2024. Application of leech therapy in medicine: A systemic review. Frontiers in Medicine, 11, 1417041. DOI 10.3389/fmed.2024.1417041.
Hyson, J.M., 2005. Leech therapy: A history. Journal of the History of Dentistry 53(1), 25-27.
Jalali, B., Asadollah, S., Mirzaei, F., Jalali, M., 2009. Freshwater Leeches with Emphasis on Fish-Parasitic Species. Nourbakhsh Publications, 232 p. (In Persian)
Mann, K.H., 1962. Leeches (Hirudinea): Their Structure, Physiology, Ecology and Embryology. Pergamon, New York: 197 p.
Mohamed, F.A.S., 2008. Bioaccumulation of selected metals and histopathological alterations in tissues of Oreochromis niloticus and Lates niloticus from lake Nasser, Egypt. Global Veterinaria 2(4), 205-218.
Petrauskiene, L., 2001. Water toxicity assessment using medicinal leeches. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 4(2), 203-208. DOI: 10.1016/S0160-4120(02)00118-6.
Petrauskiene, L., 2004. The Medicinal leech as a convenient tool for water toxicity assessment. Environmental Toxicology 19, 336-341. doi.org/10.1002/tox.20039.
Pietrzak, A., Kanitakis, J., Tomasiewicz, K., Wawrzycki, B., Kozłowsk, J., Dybiec, E., Chodorowska, G., 2012. Cutaneous complications of improper leech application. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine 19(4), 790-792.
Sawyer, R.T., 1986. Leech Biology and Behavior, Volume 2. Feeding Biology, Ecology & Systematic, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 375 p.
Sawyer, R.T., 2013. History of the leech trade in Ireland, 1750–1915: microcosm of a global commodity.
Medical History 57(3), 420-441. DOI:
10.1017/mdh.2013.21.
Singh, A.P., 2010. Medicinal leech therapy (Hirudotherapy): A brief overview. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 16(4), 213-215. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2009.11.005.
Spencer, W., Jones, G., 2007. The captive breeding and educational display of the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis. International Zoo Yearbook 41(1), 138–144. Doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-1090.2007.00005.x.
Tong, L., Dai, S.X., Kong, D.J., Yang, P.P., Tong, X., Tong, X. R., Bi, X.X., Su, Y., Zhao, Y.Q., Liu, Z.C., 2022, The genome of medicinal leech (Whitmania pigra) and comparative genomic study for exploration of bioactive ingredients, BMC Genomics 23(1), 76. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08290-5.
Unal, K., Erol, M.E., Ayhan, H., 2023. Literature review on the effectiveness of medicinal leech therapy in the wound healing. Ankara Medical Journal 23(1), 151-164. DOI: 151-164. 10.5505/amj.2023.20280.
Van Dyk, J.C., Pieterse, G.M., 2008: A histo-morphological study of the testis of the sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus) as reference for future toxicological assessments. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 24(4), 415–422. DOI.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2008.01127.x.
Zar, J.H. 1996. Biostatistical Analysis. Prentice-Hall, New Jersy, 960 p.
Zulhisyam, A.K., Ismail, A.A., Omar, I.C., 2011. Requirements for culture media of local leech breeding. Annual International Conference on Advances in Biotechnology, In: Edited by Frederic Pio and Sanjay Kumar Varma, February, 2011, Malaysia, BIOTECH, pp. 978-981.