Aeromonas Alley - Flesh eating bacteria

[Waterbug]

I was watching some doctors talking about the Georgia student infected with a flesh eating bacteria and the doctor said it was Aeromonas hydrophila. Holy cow, that's one of the species found in ponds and the lead actor in Aeromonas Alley. This young healthy woman has lost a leg and will probably lose her other foot and both hands to this stuff, and maybe her life.

This is one of the bacteria that eats fish poo and can infect fish should they have a cut. Aeromonas Alley is a water temp thing in the spring when the bacteria reproduces but the fish immune system isn't running yet.

Although it's extremely rare for humans to get to the flesh eating stage it does make me think I should be a bit more careful when mucking around in a pond. If a cut gets infected I should treat it a bit more seriously.

And removing poo from the pond is maybe a bit higher up my list of priorities now.

 

[sissy]

I saw that show also and it was scary .I looked it up online and found a lot of things that can cause problems with people in lakes and rivers and ponds .Some of this bacteria that builds up comes from the water getting to hot and can breed them .I saw a few stories about the people who died last summer from bacteria they got swimming .I keep hand sanitizer bottle by my pond and squirt and spread it around on my arms and hands and then this way gives me time to get to soap and water .

 

[j.w]

Not gonna freak out over this tho. Sometimes I think our society is over disinfecting ourselves which could put us in harm also. We have become clean freaks! If you have a cut or sore on you then I would be careful around your pond or soil and for sure don't eat any of your koi or goldies w/ lumps or sores on them....................kidding!

 

[Waterbug]

...for sure don't eat any of your koi or goldies w/ lumps or sores on them....................kidding!

So you mean you would eat them even with sores?

 

[sissy]

and would you eat them raw .Sushi bar in NC advertise they have fresh koi sushi .

 

[j.w]

Grosser than the grossest sissy and waterbug

 

[crsublette]

For past few years, my dad and I go to South Padre Bay, Texas, on occasion to go red fishing. The fishing bay waders know very well what areas to go and areas not to go. Nasty stuff.

 

[addy1]

That is one of many reasons, even though I have a water garden, it gets cleaned, muck netted out.

 

[Waterbug]

CNN has a story on other cases. More common than I thought, but still rare of course. What I found interesting were the symptoms, when you could tell you might have a problem, and the response of some medical staff.

 

[Dave 54]

Believe it or not there are at least eight what is termed Zoonosis or species skippers that can inflict serious harm to we humans two of them can lead to the death of humans if caught so our hobby can be a dangerous one indeed ......

rgrds

Dave

 

[HTH]

A member of our water garden club in colorado lost a let to flesh eating bacteria she contracted from her pond. But she had a suppressed immune system. Just the same I do not care to go in without waders.

 

[crsublette]

Yeah, I definitely go in with waders and arm length gloves as wells. This is probably a bit paranoid, but that's ok with me in this context.

Believe it or not there are at least eight what is termed Zoonosis or species skippers that can inflict serious harm to we humans two of them can lead to the death of humans if caught so our hobby can be a dangerous one indeed ......

rgrds

Dave

I completely agree with ya 100%.

Drives me crazy when folk say, "my pond is so clear, or appears so clean, that it is safe enough for me to drink. If it is good for my fish, then it is good for me to drink." Ugh... then I just :banghead3:

 

[Dave 54]

Here are a few of them
Mycobacteriuim clinical signs on humans = Granulomatous noduals to ulcerative skin lesions...... route of infection contact with infected tissues biofilms or contaminated water
Steptococcus Inae = Celulitus systemic arthritis endocarditis meningitis and rarely Death.....route of infection contact with infected tissues or contaminated water
Aeromonas spp = swelling at the sight of infection and localised edema.......route of infection contact with infected tissue.
Vibro spp = Edema tissue swelling and necrotizing fascillitis......route of infection contact with infected tissue
Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae' Localized to generalized skin infection endocarditis and death.... route of infection contact with infected tissue or contaminated water.
I know from a sad tale that TB can cause painful lesions that dont heal and can in some cases need amputation of infeted limb........
Plus this we have waterbugs story so as you see fish keeping can be a dangerous hobby for us all and I think of all those times I've had a mouth full of water when I was keeping our koi indoors yuk yuk yuk :faint: OMG........
Think we all need gloves and waders dont you ?

rgrds


Dave

 

[adavisus]

When cleaning out an old pond, or where severe fish problems could be a legacy issue, a good clear out and sloshing a light solution of bleach to all surfaces helps to reduce such hazards

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/

 

[Waterbug]

Species of Aeromonas are very common. Even in swimming pools it is fairly common. I think it would be a pretty big undertaking to remove this bacteria from a liner. And if their numbers are reduced it would be a short time before before their population was back to whatever the pond could support. That's what bacteria are good at.

A more common approach is too reduce its food source to try and keep population lower. And keep up the fish immune system as much as possible and treat cuts asap.