Worm that jumps from rats to slugs to human brains has invaded Southeast US

[Martin68]

24. I've only had a leech stuck to me once. Often saw them swimming in the water in Ontario when I was

on canoe trips, but once I found one stuck to my ankle after we'd set up camp. We had spent some time in the water because we were traveling up a steam, and the water was unusually low so we had to get into the water and pull up the heavily loaded canoes. It was a big black one. I was told to sprinkle some salt on the critter, and it soon dried up and fell off. No side effects except for an itch on the attachment site. The saliva of leeches has anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant and antimicrobial effects, and many observers believe an anesthetic component as well. While some disagree with that point, I felt nothing from the attachment and only found it because I saw it.