56-Year-Old Coughed Up 5cm Live Leech After Spitting 300mL of Blood Daily

A bizarre case has been reported of a man in his 50s who coughed up a live, 5-centimeter-long leech.

According to the international medical journal Cureus, a 56-year-old man living in Morocco was hospitalized with severe hemoptysis, or coughing up blood, along with voice changes and difficulty breathing. His condition was serious enough for him to spit up 200 to 300 milliliters of blood daily.

However, an unexpected event occurred on the second day of his hospitalization. After a severe bout of coughing, the man spat out a live leech measuring about 5 centimeters. As soon as the leech came out, the bleeding stopped as if by magic, and his health rapidly recovered afterward.

The research team led by Professor Elbatoul Debbagh of the Department of Pulmonology at Mohammed VI University Hospital in Agadir, Morocco, who reported the case, explained, "For patients with severe hemoptysis of unknown origin who have a history of exposure to unsterilized fresh water such as valley streams, the possibility of a bronchial leech infection must be considered."

(Produced by: Yang Hyun-yi | Video Editing: Lee Eui-sun | Design: Yang Hye-min | Source: Cureus | Produced by: SBS Digital News)