Not a Fish or Coral Disease but a Human disease called Mycobacterium Marinum

That hasn't been my experience, fortunately. From personal experience with exposure and not knowing anyone who has contracted it. If mouth siphoning was an issue... I'd have it after the exposure I went through.

I did alot of handling of the wounds.... this is why I don't believe it is so easy to get.... I'd have it. I always have open wounds because I like DIY things.

 

Wow, great thread ....Kudos to all. Having quite a bit of medical knowledge (vet tech for horses), I often wondered what kind of infectious bacteria/ viruses lurked in there. My arm is still attached ....so far so good.

 

Historically, the frequency of M. marinum infections has been quite sporadic, because of the irregular exposure of persons to M. marinum-contaminated waters. Large numbers of M. marinum infections in any calendar year have usually been associated with an outbreak in a swimming pool. Infections or outbreaks are also associated with occupational hazards, such as exposure of skin abrasions to M. marinum. Over the last 10 years, there have been fewer reports of sporadic outbreaks, and consequently there has been a small but steady number of reports describing M. marinum infection. Furthermore, there has been no change in the prevalence and frequency of M. marinum infections in the developed world since the advent of the AIDS epidemic. That may reflect a more narrow range of M. marinum habitats and predisposing conditions for M. marinum infection of humans.

M. marinum infections in immunocompetent humans appear to be restricted principally to the extremities, with few systemic infections. In Nottingham, England, 4 of 21 cases of cervical lymphadenitis were caused by M. marinum. Restriction of M. marinum infection to the extremities or cervical lymph nodes is consistent with the fact that M. marinum fails to grow above 308C in some laboratory culture media. Furthermore, M. marinum fails to grow in cell cultures at 378C. However, that is not necessarily a sufficient restriction, because M. haemophilum also fails to grow above 308C in laboratory media yet causes disseminated infections in AIDS patients (282). The restriction of M. marinum infections to the extremities may be different in immunodeficient patients (e.g., AIDS patients) or immunosuppressed patients. There have been several recent reports of disseminated M. marinum infections in such patients. Cutaneous M. marinum infection has been described in an HIV-infected individual who kept a large freshwater aquarium that he cleaned regularly.


M. marinum Infection in Fish

In contrast to an unchanged annual incidence of M. marinum infection in humans, there appears to be an increase in the frequency of M. marinum infection in cultured or hatcheryconfined fish. Over a 6-year period, M. marinum infection was detected at significant levels in hatchery-confined chinook salmon in Australia. Cultured striped bass were reported to be infected with M. marinum over several seasons. As expected, M. marinum infection has been reported in freshwater ornamental fish, salmon, sturgeon, and bass. It is likely that the high population densities and the presence of high levels of excreted carbon and nitrogen compounds in the recirculated water in hatcheries contribute to the growth of M. marinum. Transmission of M. marinum between fish and between fish and amphibians through cocultivation or exposure to M. marinum-contaminated water has been reported