Leeches are widespread in the Great Lakes Basin, yet their potential to harbor disease-causing agents has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to identify the bacterial community of the commonly occurring leech, Myzobdella lugubris, within the Lake Erie Watershed. Leech samples were collected from the pectoral fins of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, and freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, from Lake Erie in commercial trap nets and pooled into two samples based on host attachment. Bacteria from within the viscera of M. lugubris were identified by sequencing their 16S rRNA (rDNA) gene of amplified community bacterial DNA extracted from pooled leech homogenate samples and were checked for similarity in two public databases: the Ribosomal Database Project and BLAST. Bacteria belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes, beta-proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and unclassified Bacteria were present in the leech samples. A large number of bacteria found within leeches attached to channel catfish consisted of sequences that could not be classified beyond the Domain Bacteria. However, many of these sequences were homologous (< 45%) to the phylum Bacteroidetes. One of the five genera detected in the leech homogenates was Flavobacterium psychrophilum, a serious fish pathogen that causes Bacterial Cold Water Disease. While the occurrence of genera varies, bacteria associated with the two fish species were similar.
