A preliminary report on the effects of parasitism by the leeches Theromyzon cooperi and Placobdella garoui on the physiology of the redbilled teal Anas erythrorhyncha

The effects of parasitism by leeches Theromyzon cooperi and Placobdella garoui on the redbilled teal Anas erythrorhyncha were investigated. Leeches with initial body mass ranging from 5.2 to 28.4 mg were allowed to parasitize redbilled teal clamped in Perspex containers. Theromyzon cooperi increased its body mass after parasitism with a mean of 10.5-fold compared to 6.9-fold for P. garoui. Changes were also observed in values of various haematological and biochemical variables of the redbilled teal monitored during this investigation.