A warning to ALL

[northboy]

Howdy ALL

 

A warning for all of you, I have TB from fish it is not like human TB as in it dose not attack your lungs, nor kill you, the ones we have here any way.

You get it from guts or skin breaks mostly on your hands, it is way to complex to go into, BUT caught early its not to bad, it will knock you down BUT is fixable easy.

It will show up as a sore that wont go away, there is lots more to it that, that but I am going to keep this short. If you have a sore that wont go away easy and you joints feel  like krap, that is one warning sign, ask you Doctor to test for fish TB and with the right treatment it can be fixed easy. It gets over looked a lot

 

I most likely got mine from Rainbow fish?? but there are a lot of possible fish you can get it from and the fish don't have to show signs if it for you to get it.

 

If you are concerned about it Google it and have a read, but don't go all hypo over it. I have known about it for 40 years and known many that have had it and form Cichlids, Catfish, Gouramis and many more species.

 

Be on the look out but not panicked and no way am I giving away fish keeping, but it is a warning to keep your water healthy and your fish healthy and stay alert. Mostly if you are concerned get a blood test, DAM I hate needles I hate them

 

Bob

 

I will leave it to the Scientist for a tec explanation AKA Ben, BEN??

[fishmosy]

Basically fish TB is a bacterial infection in humans that comes from a bacteria that infect fish (the technical term is zoonosis). As Bob said, a common sign of this disease is a sore on your hand that wont go away, and most peoples infections do not progress beyond this. However there have been cases in the UK and the US where people have lost limbs due to the infection, but this is extremely rare. The infection is carried by fish and aquarists come into contact with the bacteria when they put their hands in the tank during maintainence. Its even possible to get mouth infections if you suck start your hoses when siphoning out your tanks. You can avoid getting the infection by following simple hygiene such as washing your hands after touching your fish tanks or coming into contact with the water in your fish tanks, avoiding suck starting hoses, wearing gloves during maintainence, not putting your hands in the tank if you have open sores or other wounds, ect. 

Given this disease appears to come from fish only, this may be another reason to go with that shrimp only tank you've been dreaming of! 

With a proper diagnosis, fish TB is generally readily treated with antibiotics. However most common antibiotics used to treat infections often don't treat this bacteria, so the right antibiotic has to be used. So if you have a wound that won't heal, remind your doctor that you keep fish and asked to be tested for fish TB. 

As Bob also said, this is something to be aware of but not to freak out over. 

 

[al4n]

thanks for the headsup, iam always starting the siphoning by mouth :o im gonna be extra careful now

[Grubs]

 I have

TB

from fish

Sucks to be you Bob...

 

...but get well soon. ;)

 

[northboy]

LOL Grubs, at the moment is sux to be me, but the rest of the time I get it pretty dam good, so I am not complaining its pay back for the good times

 

Good time are coming again and I will drive you lot NUTZ with field trip reports as I found all my testing equipment and that is the ONLY good thing about being home bound

 

Bob

 

Dam  my feet need scratchen

[OzShrimp]

Now i know what to tell me parents that thing is between my shoulders.

[Callan]

Wow Bob thanks for sharing I had never heard of it until know. I know at work if you ever cut your finger and were putting hands in the tanks or catching fish etc and didn't clean the cut with antiseptic then you could guarantee it would get infected very quickly. I think back now at how many times this happend whether it was catching fish, cleaning tanks, ponds and bigger waterfeatures  that may have also had fish in them and think how lucky I was that I never got it. 

[northboy]

Its a slim chance getting it, I have played with fish, I hate to admit it for 45 years and this is the first time I have had it. I do how ever know of 5 or 6 people that have had it and as far as I know you can not transfer person to person, don't quote me on that one

 

Wasting in Gourami and gold fish is a fair bet on being TB, fish TB, as soon as you say TB people go into melt down but thank fully its not the same.

We have a lot of people TB up here bought in from PNG and some of it is multi drug resistant, now that is one that puts fear in you, luckily the powers that be are all over it.

 

Stay alert and get tested if you have the smallest worry, tell the Quack that you keep fish, that changes what he or she looks for

 

Bob

[Jo]

Aw Bob, how terrible, I hope you get better soon.

Just to add to the advice from not suck-starting siphons, I once caught bacterial bronchitis from mistakenly breathing the air from a dirty hose whilst trying to start the siphon (I was doing it very wrong).  Put me in bed for a week, unable to walk far without wheezing.  Needless to say, after that we got a hand pump starter instead (and then switched to shrimp so couldn't do as big water changes!)

[Gbang]

Bob sorry to hear mate :( hope it gets better?

[raukem86]

Thanks for the headsup! Gotta be more careful now.

[Matuva]

Hi Bob.
Really sorry to hear that. Hope you're now feeling a lot better.

I will look at my fish with different eyes now  -.^

Take care mate!