Blog Directory ID: 818
Blog URL: http://www.fisheriessite.blogspot.com
Google Pagerank: 3
Blog Description: my blog is about fisheries ..contain fish,disease,pathogen,fish health and freshwater leeches.
Blog Category: Animal Blogs
Blog Owner: annz
Blog Added: October 04, 2007 03:03:38 PM
Audience Rating: General Audience
Blog Country: 
Malaysia Number Hits: 16 |  Blog Rating: 3.44 |  Rate Blog: Submit rating |  Review Blog |
| Latest Blog Reviews | |||
| |||
| Add the Review Me Button to your Blog! | |||
 <a href="http://www.bloggingfusion.com//review-blog-818.html"><img src="http://www.bloggingfusion.com//images/linkware/review-me-at-blogging-fusion.png" alt="Review fisheries site at Blogging Fusion Blog Directory" style="border:0px;" /></a> | |||
| Our Sponsors | |||
Leeching Into Commercial Production
KUALA LUMPUR - Leeches could be a money spinner for Malaysia's growing aquaculture sector. Dr Zaleha Kassim, senior lecturer with the Tropical Aquaculture Institute of University Malaysia Terengganu, believes that breeding leeches for medicinal purposes has commercial potential and both government and the aquaculture sector should be investigating the economics.
"Although many people are not comfortable even hearing the word leech or going near it, the breeding of the filum Annelida specimen from the Hirudinea subclass, can bring in high returns if bred commercially," said Dr Kassim.
She says that enterprises could be explored and set up through Yayasan Tekun Nasional (Tekun)'s business partnership programme and Bank Pertanian, is ready to help those keen to enter the business.
A single, mature leech can command a prices of RM1.80-RM2 while a youngster can bring in 50 sen to RM1. Six types of leeches are found in Malaysia.
Leech breeding is simple and already successful in Western countries including Britain, Germany and Russia. Usually bred for specific purposes, the culture of leeches has benefitted from significant research enabling the organism to be used in modern medicine including the production of pills for heart ailments.
"There, leeches are also bred in hospitals mainly for health problems in sensitive areas like head, eyes, or ears requiring surgery," she said.
Live leeches are used to suck up the blood of patients and later on the blood is drawn to analyse the possible ailments of the patient concerned.
"In Western countries, leech based medicinal treatments have been patented and commercialised, but in Malaysia we have yet to reach such a level, and that is why there is a need for extensive research and development," said Dr Zaleha, who has been doing research on leeches the past two years.
Commercial Involvement
There are now three or four companies involved in the production of leech based oil for health purposes,although there is strong belief thatfuture developedt will encourageotherr 'spin-off'businessess.
The health property found in a leech is called Hirudin, a type of protein that prevents blood clotting, found in the worm's saliva.
Dr Zaleha said the breeding of leeches required minimum care, much like breeding fish in an aquarium, whether inside or externally and whether in a concrete pond or natural pond.
It can be fed the blood of cows or goats every week or once every two weeks and its breeding is fast, Dr Zaleha said.
Dr Zaleha also said that leeches are also used in the production of cosmetics and among the countries already in this industry were China, Thailand and South Korea.
TheFishSite News Desk
video Ternakan Lintah komersial
why do they do all this stuff?
I almost threw up when I saw his mouth full of leeches. How to remove leech from body properly
Removal of the leech
Salt, salt water or vinegar will cause an actively sucking leech to vomit and fall off. A leech will usually fall off after 20 minutes of attachment without any treatment.DO NOT pull the leech off as the skin may be torn and ulceration may follow or parts of the jaw may remain and set up infection. Applying heat to the leech (e.g. applying a hot coal or lit cigarette) may result in burns to the patient so is not recommended.
Treatment
Wash with soap and water.
Apply a cold pack if there is significant pain or swelling.
Apply pressure if there is bleeding from the bite.
Seek medical attention if the area becomes infected or if a wound or ulcer develops.
Even if you have never been bitten by a leech before, watch for the following symptoms, they may indicate a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction, which requires urgent medical attention:
* red blotches on the skin or an itchy rash over the body
* swelling in parts of the body away from the bitten area, especially the lips and around the eyes
* feeling faint, light-headed or dizzy
* breathing difficulties: wheeze, shortness of breath, chest tightness
Biologist Jörg Graf researches bacteria in the bellies of bloodsuckers.
Many patients these days suffer from immune system deficiencies. Thus it is important for doctors to know which bacteria live in the blood of a leech before they decide whether to use leeches as medical treatment. It is also important to know which bacteria are in there which prevent infection. As with all living creatures, leeches are not sterile; and are the home of many bacteria. If a leech is squeezed as it is removed from the skin, it may regurgitate into the fresh wound. This can lead to infection. As leech therapy is used more and more, the need for studies of the bacteria in the bellies of the beasts is becoming more and more important.
Until recently it was assumed that leech stomach bacteria were all aerobic; however, new studies point to a richer array of bacterial dwellers. Jörg Graf, a German biologist and researcher at the University of Connecticut, has been studying leeches intensively for years. His team has succeeded in verifying and breeding another breed of bacteria. The new bacteria are anaerobic and propagate only in oxygen-free chambers.
My Yahoo! Google NewsGator Stumbleupon PluckIT Rojo Bloglines My AOL Blogrolling ENewsblog NewsIsFree NetVibes del.icio.us Technorati Digg This FeedMailerOr if you prefer use one of our linkware images? Click here
Report Blog Listing - 
Refer Blog Listinghttp://www.bloggingfusion.com/fisheries-site-blog-directory-818.html