The Infection That Nearly Ended My Time In The Aquarium Hobby
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Many people who keep saltwater aquariums are familiar with the common health risks -- but this is one I bet you haven't heard of. Lots of people told me I should break down my 310 gallon mixed reef but I love it too much to let a little thing like orthopedic surgery get me down!
Mycobacterium marinum: emedicine.meds...
You can probably breathe underwater now…
Omg, you win. 524 comments (so far) and this is by far my favorite!
@@BaconCove Next is having the power to control things, like Mr. Nimbus in Rick and Morty.
Bro turned himself into a waterbender 💀
@@BaconCove this week in parasitism!!!!!! You should 100% contact them and do a channel cross promotion. Vincent and crew are life long dedicated to this topic and they would probably love to showcase your story from the beginning and let their audience diagnosis it. It really drives home the value of getting a person’s background, and not skipping the hobby.
@@_c_y_p_3 That's a great idea -- I'll reach out to them. Thanks for the tip!
Just wanting to toss this out there: a lot of doctors forget to ask about if you work at a petstore, work around aquariums, or own any of those things. Your doctor may even write it off as not a big deal if you mention it. But there are a lot of infections you can get from EVERY pet you own. Dogs, cats, hamsters, ect. And you can absolutely get the infections just working at a petstore.
Thanks so much for posting that Brigid -- really thoughtful. I assume you work at a pet store?
100% agree! There are risks of cross contamination with many things.
As a 25 + year aquarium hobbiest I know I have been very lucky to have only had an allergic reaction to a lionfish sting.
I am so very sorry that the OP caught such a nasty thing. I pray you recover & keep your immune system safe! Long term antibiotics..... fingers crossed. I hope you have a Merry Christmas.
I got a nasty infection while working maintenance at a dog friendly apartment in Seattle, had to rinse the dog crap covered “grass” mats daily and they’d only let us use disinfectant/cleaners once complaints of dogs getting bladder infections started rolling on, literally had to have maybe 20 complaints before we shut the roof down and used all kinds of chemicals. Which lasted a couple weeks, then everything would just repeat itself. Was Not there long. All that to say, you can get nasty infections from Any Pet Anywhere Pet Related, careful y’all lol
There's a name for infectious agents that are from animals. Zoonoses pronounced like zo-noses.
@@Soandsoguy I had No idea but I suppose it makes sense it would have its own name, thank you for the knowledge!!
Not a fun infection. I've been battling it for 10 months now. Took my doctors 3 months to send me to an infectious disease specialist who knew right away what it was and gave me the appropriate antibiotics. It's getting better now. Glad you posted this video; so many as you said have never heard of this. My fish know I'm upset with them!
Haha, that's hilarious -- what kind of fish do you keep? So sorry to hear you are fighting this as well. Antibiotics only or did you need a biopsy/debridement? I really appreciate you sharing your story. Thanks!
I have two planted tanks; one with innumerable cory doras, white tip tetra & fancy guppies; the other with 3 dwarf Gouramis (1 male) & a school of Cardinal tetras. Love them both!! I'm on the suggested course of three antibiotics & have had two biopsies and several debridements. I now have a pair of shoulder length gloves for cleaning the tank. Smart huh?! 😉
Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry to hear it's been such a long painful haul for you. Wishing you the best and that you can stay away from the knife from here on out!!
@@BaconCove Thank you!
@@autumnisnothere - I'm glad you mentioned the shoulder length gloves. I also have an aquarium and I'm not interested in meeting Mycobacterium marinum.
So I was going to ask how do we keep from getting this bacteria?
As a microbiologist, my first thought was "wow! Mycobacterium is one of my favorites!" It's no wonder that no one ever calls me to tell me what they have gotten sick with. I'm always unreasonably excited. So glad you have recovered from this!
Then you would be thrilled to hear my father got 4 rare bacteria from a surgery, not 1 or 2, 4!! Somehow they stayed in the skin and didn´t reach the bloodstream. The docs. face when she looked at the results was priceless. Now I tell my father to let some bacteria for other people, no need to be greedy.
Zoologist here, with a focus on marine animals. Lol I so feel you. I get way too excited about macabre stuff like a whale washing ashore. "Oooo what a great chance to study their vocal folds!"
Just dont blow it up to get to the bits you want to see....Oregon DOT learned that lesson the hard way...lol
I'm immune compromised so I'm going to wear gloves when working in the tank. Thank you for sharing this! I'm glad you're ok!
Hey, thanks! Good luck and be careful!
That orthopedic surgeon is incredible. They knew their stuff, even on a somewhat rare infection, and were probably patting themselves on the back for the rest of the day for asking that last question.
Seriously. I'm super grateful to him for catching it -- who knows what fun I could have been in for if the infection had gone another few months undetected. Thanks so much for the comment!
gotta also point out the other docters he saw were clueless and he was probably on prednesone for nothing because it didn't even identify or solve the underlying issue. prednesone also carries very significant risks doctors often don't like to tell you about - development of chronic high blood pressure, diabetes, your hip bones can literally disintegrate, you can grow a huge "buffalo hump" on the back of your neck, cushings syndrome the list goes on. you can develop these with a single use but chances increase the longer you take it
@@chrishayes5755 ugh i hate prednisone, i have it on my allergy list. it caused me severe limb pain, so bad i was crying. all four limbs were hurting at once. i couldn't get comfortable, i was sobbing. we immediately stopped prednisone and i never took it again and never will. there's other options than prednisone.
Prednisone can lead to compression fractures of vertebrae when lifting even minor weights. My whole lumbar spine has been fractured.
Doctor House. Did you ever watch the show? In a way very realistic. There’s literally hundreds if not thousands of rare conditions that most doctors never encounter in a lifetime of practicing medicine. They go with the established treatment for the symptoms they see: 90% of the time it works. If it doesn’t they investigate further but there’s no guarantee they’ll get it. It often comes down to luck finding a doctor who is a nerd for rare diseases or has had some previous experience.
Well, you're not the only one, I've had this too😮 Several years ago I was working in a LFS and got this swollen infection in a finger. Tried to wait it out, didn't work and went to the doctor. Gave me some antibiotics but it didn't work so they sent me to a specialist. I told him what I did for a living, he showed me a picture of a similar infection and told me I had fish tuberculosis (common name). Gave me some really heavy antibiotics and I got rid of it after some months (it was so strong I couldn't be in the sun without a heavy coat of sunblock).
I live in Norway and aquaculture is big over here and that's where the specialist had seen this stuff before.
I'm glad you shared this as this is rare but a serious infection.
Wow, you're only the second person who's mentioned having had this as well. We should form a club. Glad you were able to clear it up without surgery though! Luckily none of the antibiotics I'm on cause photosensitivity BUT -- one of them can't mix with alcohol so no drinking. For a year.
@@BaconCove that would probably be one of the few clubs where you hope the number of members won't rise🤔😅
It seems I was pretty lucky compared to you, and I'm thankful for modern medicine! I'm glad you're getting rid of it, and the fact you have to stay away from alcohol for a year says quite a bit about how serious this really is.
Anyway, now you have a battlescar, and it actually makes for a good story in the right circumstances😅
Thank you for your comment.
I can see why Aquariums are popular in Norway! Mine get me through our long cold winters, and in the US they arent half as long or cold as yours! I dream of coming to Norway, to see the "northern lights"
I caught the SAME INFECTION, not via my aquariums(I've been in the hobby for decades). I caught the SAME rare bacterial infection being poked by a raw frozen shrimp through the plastic bag as I removed it from my freezer to start dinner. Right on the tip of my finger.
Luckily, within a few days I noticed it didn't look right and I just happened to have a Dr apt a week later. The Dr was literally excited to see a new infection at his age. He said in all his years he had never seen this kind of infection. He was so overexcited he prescribed me THREE antibiotics(as was recommended in his research). But, even though I had never had a yeast infection in my life, within days I had my first and only.... Of course I called and complained that 3 antibiotics was messing me up, and he recommended reducing down to two of the meds to see how that worked. We caught it so early that two antibiotics worked just fine.
If I hadn't caught the cause of this infection the moment it happened I may have lost a finger or parts of my hand. But thankfully, because it hurt when that raw shrimp stabbed me, I was able to watch my skin start reacting pretty quickly. In my case, because of the location it behaved like a flesh eating bacteria and refused to heal, opening a little more each day for less than a week. It just kept growing and certainly looked different than other small injuries. This was just a puncture, so spreading made zero sense.
Moral of the story is.... If anything like this happens to you, quickly go to the Dr and get antibiotics before you end up needing surgery and possibly end up losing apart of your body
wow, thanks for sharing.
@@reeferkenneth8657 my pleasure. Not one I usually talk about. Lol
Hey, a month ago the exact same thing happened to me. Poked myself in the finger when squashing a bag of shrimp in the freezer to close the door. Frozen shrimp tails are as sharp as needles! Went straight into my finger. Had a couple weeks antibiotics. Can I ask how did they know it was this bacteria for you? Did they take a sample and grew it? Or did you have nodules? I haven't had any yet.
I’m in med school and just learned about Mycobacterium marinum - often overshadowed by its more infamous relative, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). Out of my extensive flashcard rotation, M. marinum is among the less emphasized (contributing only 5/90,000 of my total flash cards), making it understandable that several doctors might overlook it. It's a relatively rare condition, and your encounter sheds light on its complexity, thank you for sharing!
90....THOUSAND flashcards?!?!? I ain't religious, but Lord have mercy on your soul, god damn. Best of luck with studying.
Listen to the patient and he will tell you the disease...Sir William Osler. Never bypass starting with a good history, medical and social.
thank you for sharing your story! mycobacteria isn't talked about nearly as much as it should be. i personally got a myco infection from a freshwater tank a few years back, but luckily a trip to a dermatologist (who also asked if i had fish) and some antibiotics caught it before it could do anything scary. experiences like yours are terrible though, but at the very least sharing it will help more people know about the risk. i hope you recover fully!
Thank you so much. I still credit my orthopedic surgeon (who is NOT a skin specialist, obviously) for thinking of it right off the top of his head in our first meeting. Hope you recovered fully!
you should watch the story on youtube from gareth leonard about how he contracted a rare (ish) flesh eating bacteria from the amazon jungle. its interesting. He had to have the cdc tell him what was wrong and then the NIH, yes the national institute of health in washington DC treat him to help him get better. Interesting, scary story about how you have to be your own health advocate and how many doctors just don't know much in the face of true rarity.
What were the signs & symptoms for you?
Doing some serious research myself about a month ago and I discovered this too. I almost wanted to get rid of my aquarium.
my Dermo doc thought it was eczema so if treatment ain't working keep going back to your regular doc and make em listen to ya
Im not even really in the hobby but got this suggestion and i just wanted to say thank you for bringing awareness to this type of thing and keeping it a short sweet video that will hopefully be effective in informing as many people as possible. We need to encourage this kind of content as a community and a platform ❤
Thank you so much! I really enjoy making videos and it's been so encouraging seeing how people have responded. I truly appreciate the support!
My Grandfather got the infection while fishing in the backwoods of Florida. He managed to avoid surgery, but took over a year of treatment to clear the infection. This is a great video to help spread awareness as nobody I have told this story has heard of it. I am just getting into the hobby and would have never thought about it being a factor in a "clean" environment!
As a partner of someone deeply involved in marine life for a career, I really appreciate you sharing this information and helping more people know about and be prepared for this possibility! Hope you have a successful recovery!
Thank you for alerting me to the risk honey
Thanks so much -- I really appreciate you saying that. The response to this video has been more than I had ever dreamed of. Thanks so much for leaving a comment!
Ahhh this reminds me of the good ole days!! Love the video man reach out if you ever need any help :) 🤙
[jaw hits floor] Wow, you're the first real celebrity to comment. I'm honored! I've been watching your videos for years. Thanks so much for the encouragement!!
@@BaconCove Shoot me an email! I have a cool opportunity for you! support@coralfish12g.com
That is so kind of you ! 😊❤ I subscribed because of it.
This is an interesting topic and video. I'm glad you finally got it under control. One thing I wish you'd mentioned is how to avoid infection in the first place. For example, would a thorough washing of your hands/arms after working in your tank have prevented infection? Should you wear long rubber gloves when putting your hands into tanks that are failing? Prevention would be something that will be valuable to most viewers like myself. Thanks and I gave it a thumbs up for sure! When you see how many micro organisms are in an aquarium, it's worth washing immediately after having your arms in the water.
Very good points. And you're completely correct -- long sturdy gloves and thorough handwashing are the best methods for protection. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you so much for responding :) @@BaconCove
I had the same thing happen to me years ago working in the pet trade. We got a bad batch of neon tetras. I got the infection in my thumb through a small puncture wound cleaning tanks. My thumb swelled up and turned red. Looked hot but it wasn’t. Stumped the doctors. I went to the library and found it in a medical book. I had the problem for 8 months. I was on antibiotics for over 6 months. Mycobacterium marinum, or in laymen’s terms. Fish tuberculosis. 😮
20 years in the aquarium maintenance biz here and while I’ve had my fair share of bites, stings, pokes, electric shocks, cuts, bruises and a bad bout of palytoxin exposure I’ve never experienced this. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for commenting! I'm really glad people find it interesting and informative. Hopefully will help people know what to look for.
Thank you so much for sharing. Being in the Hobby, it is vital to gain this knowledge.🙏
Absolutely -- glad you found it useful. I've got more tidbits like this in the pipeline!
Your tank is literally my dream tank, exactly as stocked. Never even knew this channel existed before this video. I'm so glad i now know to wear extra long gloves while dealing with these types of tanks of this scale. Much love and appreciation, I'm terribly sorry that happened to you.
I'm so glad your surgeon made the connection. Thanks for putting out this video to raise awareness. Hopefully fewer people will need to go through what you went though.
Never heard of this. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds like you may have had an open wound to start with. Thanks for sharing and glad you’re doing a lot better. ❤
I probably did have some small scratch or something -- that's how it gets transmitted. Thanks for the comment!
Maybe try wearing gloves when handling foreign germs
I was blown away when I found out you could catch tuberculosis from fish, but I've only been in the hobby a year. Thanks for sharing this information, gonna help alot of folks.
I was finally stung by a Bristle worm in 2018! My finger was swollen up like you wouldn’t believe and I learned my lesson about putting my bare hand in my tanks/s.
Good luck with your recovery!
Godspeed🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸
I learned about this in med school and since I’m a lifelong aquarium nut (fresh and saltwater) I always remembered this disease and it’s features. Lucky you got the right diagnosis in time and hope your recovery is complete. And I believe there’s also a similar freshwater version of this disease 🤦🏻
The one that always stuck for me was vibrio vulnificus -- "tell your patients not to eat oysters if they have liver disease"
@@BaconCoveYeah the old adage of never eat oysters in the summer is true….
Beautiful reef by the way, and looking forward to more updates! Any more problems with the angels eating coral?
Curious if you wear gloves seen as you knew about it (and other nasty things in a tank)?
@@SmiithrzIf you’re asking me this question, yes I actually do wear gloves with rubber bands to try to keep aquarium water from getting in. Doesn’t always keep my hands completely dry, but I almost always immediately wash with pretty hot water and soap if my hands get wet. Some may think it’s a little extreme but I really don’t want to get this infection if just a little prevention effort will probably keep me safe.
What happens if you don't get a timely diagnosis with this?
Sorry for your injury but I’m glad you’re turning it into something educational. I was on antibiotics for a year because of a rotten tooth that I just had removed. Hope your recovery goes as well as mine has so far
Very cool to know about, thanks for the info. Glad your doing well.
I'm surprised you had never mentioned to any doctor that you constantly have your hands in aquariums. Maybe a good thing for everyone else to know is mention they are in the hobby or professional when seeing doctors.
Again, glad your doing well, that's a crazy surgery to go through.
Reminds me of getting cellulitis, but worse!
Thanks for sharing it with the community! Happy that you are doing well now :)
Thanks so much -- only six months of antibiotics to go!
Thank you sharing this. I never would have known! My husband cut his hand very badly in our aquarium last year & was put on more antibiotics than I've ever seen. Now I know why!
Glad someone was able to diagnose you correctly and give proper therapy. Thank you for sharing, will forward this to a friend who keeps a small aquarium
Thanks for the information, being around aquariums for most of my life, I've never heard of it. I hope you have a great recovery.
This is wonderful that you did this video. Even though it's rare, it still happens and it could happen to one of the people who see this and it'll save them so much pain and suffering. With how it started to where it ended is so unrelated, that it makes sense not many people would connect the two. Kudos to your orthopedic surgeon! You're right in calling him 'really excellent'. I'm sorry you had to go through the surgery and the many months of antibiotics. That in itself is scary because you don't want to become immune to them. I hope you're feeling better and get through this course of antibiotics without a hitch. 👍
BTW, your fish and tanks are beautiful! New subscriber here.😊
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your thoughtful comment.
@@BaconCove You are so welcome! 🤗
Great PSA! Glad you're feeling better. Always tell your doctor what kinds of animals you have at home.
- veterinarian
Thank you for sharing your story and helping to prevent suffering in others.
Holy cow how scary!!! I had no idea you could get this from a fish tank, im so glad you caught it and were able to get treatment
Thanks so much. I'm grateful too. Thanks for commenting!
But not literally glad he 'caught it' (caught the infection in the first place)
Thanks for sharing, dude! I had an aquarium for years and had never heard of this.
So glad you have recovered from this infection. Had fish tanks since a very young age. I’m 62 and still have one. I just love it. Never heard of that rare infection. That doctor who find it 👍. Thanks for sharing 🐠. Stay safe.
Thanks. I had a follow up with my surgeon recently and I told him about this video and all the praise for him in the comments. I hope he gets a chance to read some of them!
I’m not in the aquarium keeping hobby, but this is very fascinating and informative.
Thank you
Thank you for sharing! I had no clue until last week that you can catch an infection from your fish/ tank!
Wow that’s a wild story. There is nothing better than great doctor!
ahh, a blessing! No long intro, no overhyped UA-camr! Thank you so much, hope you get well soon.
Thanks so much -- that comment really means a lot to me. I kinda can't stand the UA-cam "look" to videos. I'm perfectly fine with lower subscribers and viewers if it means I get to make videos I'm proud of. Glad it resonates with you, and thanks so much for the encouragement!
I recognized the name as soon as you said it! I was a deckhand in Destin Florida from 1981 to 1983. Several of us ended up with ulcerated sores that just wouldn’t go away. Mine was the size of a quarter, on the outer side of my right ankle. After a month, I went to the marine doctor, and he diagnosed it as….mycobacterium marinum! He said that the old timers called it fish tuberculosis. 4 months of antibiotics eventually cured it it was unpleasant, one of the deckhands ended up with a big abscess on his knee, spent a couple of nights in the hospital.
You are the only other person I have ever heard of that contracted this infection, other than those of us working in the Destin charter fleet that summer.
Hey, thanks for the comment! I've read that outside of the aquarium hobby the most common population that catches M. marinum are shellfish farmers and people who clean barnacles off ships -- maybe that's how you caught it. Glad you recovered!
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I recently worked with a vet to diagnose a slow progressing illness in my school of neon tetras... It was some kind of mycobacterial infection!
She said that it's actually quite common in our animals/set-ups, but rarely affects people. Usually when it does, it got in through a small cut or abrasion on the hand. Definitely changed the way I handle that fish tank, and think about fishtank safety/hygiene in general!
But I doubt I would have heard about all this if I hadn't had those fish get visibly ill. Thanks for spreading the word; I hope your healing progression goes well!
Sorry to hear about your tetras! Sounds like your vet suspected M. marinum -- glad you didn't catch it. Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Fascinating. I’ve heard of many other kinds of water-borne bacteria or flesh eating microbes (and “brain eating snails” etc too), but I’ve never heard of one that didn’t have some sort of external symptoms (like puss from an open wound or bruising etc).
I don’t even keep a fish tank anymore but this popped up on my recommendations and rare medical anomalies like this fascinate me.
I have a fresh water tank. I always check for cuts or sores on my hands and arms before putting them in the water. If there’s anything, I will avoid touching the water. Then I sanitize my arms and hands really well before washing them very well. I want to avoid any weird diseases or infections.
Wow. Good doctor you had! I'm glad you're doing okay.
i dont have any use for this information myself that i can tell but i see it as information worth spreading because although i dont do anything with aquariums i know a lot of people are and im pretty sure all of us have or will come in contact with water that has the possibility of causing such an infection. and knowing is half the battle ......THANKS G.I. JOE!.....and thank you bacon cove for sharing your story
I’m sorry you went through all this. I’m glad you’re doing better. Thanks for educating us.
Thank you for saying that -- and thanks for watching and commenting. It's so rewarding knowing that people are learning from these videos!
Wow, never heard of it. Glad you're getting this out to more people.
That was one of the best and most informative UA-cam videos I’ve ever seen! Simple, clear and informative without the drama
Wow, that is such a compliment!! I really appreciate the encouragement. Hopefully more interesting content to come!
Holy moly man I’m happy that you are alright first time viewer ❤ God bless you. I love your tank also that melanurus wrasse looks very happy to have all that room to swim around in
Thank you! I really appreciate the encouragement. I have more videos coming soon -- I wish I had more time to work on them!
Wow ! “Super Rare” is definitely something you don’t want to hear when it comes to an infection. Had no idea this was even possible & im positive I’m not alone. Thanks for the info & wishing you a speedy recovery .
Thank you!!
I had necrotizing fascititis in my hand, and almost lost my whole hand. Infections are NO JOKE, I must admit, I had never heard of an aquarium infection like yours. What a crazy world, isn't it. SO glad you're ok now, we both have quite the scars to show people. Much love to you Bacon
Thanks for your kind words. I think your infection was worse than mine -- I hope you made a full recovery!!
Wow!! Thank you, I have a 568 liter reef tank, and like you said.... I have never heard of this in all my years having salt. Thank you!!
You are so welcome!
Hard to tell how it would have turned out if the doctor hadn't asked that question. Thanks for the heads-up.
So glad you're going to be okay-That's a great Royal Gramma you've got. Nothing shy about him.
Thanks so much! Check out this short I made all about him: ua-cam.com/users/shorts_RA5O764qA0?feature=share
I am not part of this aquarium hobby but I was very interested as I saw your video. I really appreciate your taking the time to report on your experience. I am sorry that you are having to go through this experience. Thank you for getting the word out about this bacteria. I am sure that you will be helping others in the future.
Thanks for the comment and the encouragement! It really means a lot that people find these videos interesting, and hopefully helps some people avoid this illness!
Cheers for sharing pal.. shout out from Dublin Ireland 🇮🇪 🙌
I’m not an enthusiast but wow, your tank looks pristine! Glad you got through it safely.
I don’t dive but I love cave diving videos. I expect to drop into a rabbit hole of aquarium infections next!
rough, dude. i'm sorry you went through that.
Excellent video! I appreciate your preparation and well-written script.
I'm so glad you're on the mend. It looks like a terrible ordeal to endure.
It must have been difficult to care for your tanks while you were healing.
Your video will likely save folks from the same level of suffering by getting a rapid, accurate diagnosis.
I recently had my own problem with a swollen hand, which I assumed was an infection from aquarium water exposure.
My doctor quickly diagnosed it as a cyst and not an infection, but he did mention mycobacterium marinum after I told him about my hobby. I'm pleased to know he's up-to-date on such matters.
I wish you good health for the future...and for your fishies, too🐠!
Thanks so much Kelly -- such a kind and thoughtful comment! I really appreciate all the encouragement I've received from this video. If you liked it I'm actually more proud of my next one: ua-cam.com/video/f5u1b4CNFKo/v-deo.html
Let me know what you think!
Thanks for helping spread the word!
... so you got hold of a doctor that took interest in learning ... glad your on the way to full recovery now ... had fish tanks years ago I used to theme decorate it so hand was always in the stirred up water ... way older now have no fish currently tho ...
I worked as a nurse on a plastics unit for almost 20 years. Myco is nasty, I've seen people lose limbs.
Also, it is more common in freshwater tanks than what you imply.
This is amazing that your Ortho Dr was able to catch this. I’m also glad that you were able to come away with just a gnarly scar and a hand to use! 😮 I know when I do tank maintenance, I use the OB-GYN gloves that cattle ranchers use for birthing cows. They go all the way up to your shoulders. Then, I use a pair of 5mil. nitrile disposable gloves over top of those. So far, so good! I started doing that after I got a couple different types of Paly’s and Zoas and wanted to be extra careful. I’m a mom to 4 with an active duty hubs, and can’t afford to drop dead 😂 Jokes aside-thank you so much for educating the hobby! ❤
Hey, thanks for the comment! You're spot-on with your gloves. Where do you buy them BTW? And thanks to your family for your service!
See it is a good thing to have a smattering of info in your head that's outside the box! Glad it was a good outcome considering all you had to go through. I will be even more careful around mine.
Glad you found the video interesting, and thanks for watching!
Glad you got a proper diagnosis and are being medicated appropriately. And thank you for sharing I had never heard of this.
Good job by your medical man there. Thanks for posting, this is the kind of information that can genuinely prevent serious harm, hope you make a full recovery.
Thank you so much! I am genuinely grateful to my surgeon and the whole team that has helped me through this. Thanks for the comment!
So glad they heard hooves and though zebras. Or zebra fish in this case. Hope you have a auike recovery.
Thank you for this video. I will continue to live vicariously through aquarium videos like yours.
Hey, thanks so much. I have a lot more videos on the way -- I hope you subscribed!
Bacon Cove. I am so thankful that you posted this video. You helped with a diagnosis! I recently (past several months) tested positive for TB. When I saw your video, I realized that M Marinum is an infection involving the same bacteria which is in TB. Then I remembered that I have had this very small spot on my hand. It's never hurt or itched or caused me a problem, so I just ignored it. As I watched your video, I recognized the name "Mycobactirium" from my researching of TB and a light bulb went on in my head. I mentioned it to my DR today and after doing some research, she is beginning to think I am right.
I should mention also that I have three smaller freshwater fish tanks, 2- 20 gal and 1- 10 gal. Again thank you! for this information!
So humbling... I'm really touched that you were willing to share your story! I sincerely hope you get answers, whatever they may be. I too tested positive for TB shortly after my surgery (I'm in the medical field so I get a TB test annually). The health department confirmed I don't have actual TB, just a false positive from the mycobacterium marinum. Definitely see the evaluation through because this infection can get pretty bad if it isn't treated. Very best of luck to you!!
@@BaconCove I get tested for TB once a year because I am on Ilumya shots for Psoriasis. The plan is for me to get a Biopsy of the spot on my hand and go from there. I am just thankful I saw your video, and then that my Dr. took me seriously. i don't know if I or my Doctors would have figured it out otherwise until it got out of hand. Thanks again.
Man, after keeping salt water aquaria for like over 40 years -way lost count of the number of species in that time, water exchanges, trips to the beach collecting etc. i don't anyone who got this, actually, no, I d know someone in that time period, an accident on the coral landed her in hospital with similar symptoms, but yeah really rare. These are undoubtably the toughest things to track down.
Like, comment, bump 😊 Not an aquarium person so must be doin something right to pop into my feed. Happy to help keep it going!
So nice of you!
thank you for sharing to us about ur experience and spreading awareness of such diseases.
I started keeping tanks in med school and my world was rocked when I learned about this. I’ve never seen a case in person, but I have seen M. avium. Excellent video!
Thanks so much. I started my first tank when I got out of residency -- life was too hectic and transient before then. Glad to hear you were able to make it work in med school though. Thanks for leaving a comment friend!
I got that too when I worked in a pet shop. They call it fish tank granulosis.
It was very easy to test as I caught it early.
This makes me even more glad that I've invested in a pair of arm-length gloves for my tanks.
I dealt with this but thankfully went straight to a dermatologist a day after the infection appeared. He immediately identified it as M. marinum which is fish tuberculosis. I did a round of cipro and sulfameth and it went away within a week or two. Always go to a dermatologist first for skin infections.
I'm glad you're recovering and thank you for puitting the information out there!
Thank you for the well wishes, and thanks for leaving a comment!
So glad I came across this video. This is great information. I just started a new saltwater aquarium and it’s just great to have this in the back of my mind just in case. 👍👍👍👍
Comment, for the algo, everyone needs to see this, thank you for posting!!!!!
Thank you!
Wow. Thank you for sharing. I will let my boyfriend know as he has a fishtank
Short sweet and to the point. Thanks for spreading knowledge that could save someone else a lot of time and pain
Glad it was helpful!
This video reminds me of the time I got a rare skin infection from an aquarium. I used to work at a pet shop so my hands were always in the fish tanks cleaning them etc. an infection developed where a couple spots of pus showed up on the end of my finger (like mini abscesses). Over time I would get more spots that seemed to "climb" further up my finger. We tried antibiotics and different skin treatments But the spots wouldn't go away. The skin doctor discovered what it was but I don't remember the name. But the key treatment was actually soaking my finger/hand in the hottest water I could stand (we put salt in the water too). I would soak it several times a day for like 15 minutes at a time. And that did the trick and the infection went away!
Thanks for the education! I would highly reccomend serrapeptase and lumbrokinase twice a day to break down any fibrin tissues, it can also aid in recovery time.
Actually, I really appreciate that recommendation. Both look like oral supplements, correct? Are there topical versions?
@@BaconCove I'm in the neurology field that cross platforms with other fields. I do think orally is best twice a day in higher doses, there's some good NIH and pubmed articles available. 3 times a day at higher doses is probably best. There's also really interesting research behind breaking down co... spike protein that causes microcosm. The side effects are practically none and since the stomach acid dentures even some of these enzymes it's best to take higher doses to get blood serum levels up to have a therapeutic property. The science is super fascinating.
Never heard of it, but many thanks for sharing this very valuable information. I hope your therapy goes well. Cheers.
So sorry you had to go through that trauma. Be well…
I suggest getting interested in microscopy, if you check the water from time to time and also check the dead fish. you could identify potentially dangerous microorganisms before they become an issue and plot a course to mitigate the environment they like to live in. There is always some plants you can add that that microorganism doesn't like. Thanks for the video, it was informative :)
Thanks for the suggestion! I do find microscopy fascinating -- not sure I can invest in one that's up for the task, haha... Thank you for commenting!
You can’t find this microbe just by regular microscopy. Even specialized labs have a hard time culturing this.
Incredible presenting skills and more importantly a great tank set up
Thank you!
A friend had something similar, he helped his parents in the garden and didn't used gloves. He got a tiny cut in his thumb and next days he nearly lost his thumb as the infection started to eat away his flesh and he had like 3 surgeries on his thumb to not lose it. It's so crazy what sort of bacterias exist in the world.
Get well soon as well!
Wow, that's quite a story. Scary indeed. Thanks for watching and for leaving a comment!
Thanks for keeping us aware!
One of my brothers-in-law is a prominent radiologist overseas, and his wife a pharmacologist, and a sister-in-law a dermatologist, will find this interesting.
thanks for raising awareness
Wow!
That stuff is crazy!
And so is that scar!😮
I'm glad you are ok!😊
Thank you!
This is so crazy for me to hear because I went through this too and I’ve never heard of anyone else getting it. I caught it early thankfully. It took about 8 different doctors over a couple months until I found a hand surgeon who asked the same thing. “Do you have fish tanks?” After that I went to an infectious disease doctor and then I got sliced open a little bit to get it tested. I went on the tuberculosis meds and some other one for about 6 months.
I hadn’t had any losses recently before but I had gotten a mudskipper a couple months before the cyst things started showing up so I assume I got the infection from him. I just got off my antibiotics a few months ago. Yours seemed bigger than mine. I had about 15 small ones on my hand tendons and then 3 on my wrist and 3 big ones on my forearm tendons.
Wow, glad you got treated early. I've got about 2 months left of my antibiotic regimen -- looking forward to putting that behind me. Hope you're fully recovered. Thanks for leaving a comment!
Ive heard of the freshwater version (fish tubercolosis) because one of my fish got it and in trying to treat it, I learned humans could also get it.
I never got infected thankfully but after losing all the fish in that tank over a period of a few months, Ive left that tank empty and dry for 5 years.
Oh wild, I used to work in a veterinary hospital that dealt with a lot of mycobacterial infections. Mostly for cats. Had heard of this one (they call it "fish tank granuloma" in the vet/medical textbooks). A few years later I worked on food & workplace safety for some aquaponics farms. Fish tank granuloma came up again because it can be a health hazard for people working on fish & aquaponics farms. Never seemed to happen anyone I worked with though.
Glad you were able to get treated! This is the kind of thing that can go misdiagnosed & get worse & worse for years because it's so rare. If you work with animals, outdoors, etc and get a weird health problem, you definitely have to let the docs know. There are a lot of "specialty" health issues you can get from wildlife.
Congrats again on getting it taken care of before it spread any further. Untreated Mycobacteria infections can get gnarly!
Thank you so much for such an interesting, thoughtful comment! It's a good reminder to hear from people like yourself who see this type of thing more commonly. In my world it's so rare no one even thinks of it. I appreciate the encouragement, and thanks for watching!
I contracted a case while working in aquarium maintenance. I developed a nodule around Thanksgiving 2008, which was lanced and drained at the emergency room, but not cultured. They fave me Augmentin and sent me on my way. A couple weeks later a friend who also worked in the trade saw the healing wound on my hand and asked me about it. He floated the possibility that it was M. marinum, and said the antibiotic I got wouldn't do the job. Sure enough, right after the New Year a second nodule formed. I told the doctor my suspicion, she took a culture, and after 3 months of Minocycline I never had another nodule.
Wow, glad you looked closer and got the correct diagnosis! I've heard so many similar stories in these comments. I only wish I knew what I know now when my first few nodules appeared. Thanks for commenting!
You are INCREDIBLY lucky you have a well educated, insightful snd and careful orthopedist. If gou had a kazy doctor or simply one unfamiliar with this incredibly rare diagnosis BC u really are lucky you still have not only your hand but your life tbh!
I continue to be grateful to him every day. I plan on passing along all these compliments the next time I see him. Thanks for leaving a message!
I'd never heard of this either; I suffer from some as-yet unknown inflammation issues, with auto-immune being their best guess. Always interesting to hear about these fairly rare cases. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, so sorry to hear Mike. I'm so lucky my surgeon figured this out, otherwise I fear I'd have been in a similar position. Wishing you all the best getting to the bottom of it -- I've got my fingers crossed for you!