“Medical-grade” is not a marketing word. For leeches it is a chain of controlled conditions that together make the animal safe and predictable to use on a patient.
What are the criteria for a medical-grade leech?
Medical-grade supply means the following criteria are met, in order, and documented end to end:
- Bred, not foraged. Controlled breeding replaces the unknown history of a wild leech — diet, pathogens, age, water quality — with documented provenance and consistent health.
- Fasted and conditioned. A hungry leech attaches and draws; a recently fed one does not. Fasting and conditioning are what make a leech behave on demand in the operating room.
- Size-graded to the procedure. The animal is graded by body length so it matches the indication and expected draw volume.
- Batch-traceable. Stock is traceable from breeding line to dispatch, so any issue can be tracked back.
- Documented. The animal is accompanied by health and CITES documentation appropriate to the destination.