Zoonosis its effects on us humans

[Dave 54]

A while back now on the PFK website there was a sad tale of a young 13 year old girl who may have to loose her hand after she contracted Fish TB from her aquarium
Sadly I dont have the link to it now it doesnt work (sorry)......
She more than probably as many of us have done in the past cut herself whilst cleaning her Aquarium ( it happens in ponds to ).......
Doctors said that she may have to loose her hand because of this.
It is extremly painful and doesnt heal
Fish TB is rare in the fish world but do we know what we are looking for and should we wear gloves when doing anything in our ponds ?
Fish TB as I said is very rare in fish and is caused by a mycrobacteria but if it is identified what should we do ?
It is known as a zoonosis, which quite frankly means that it is capable of jumping species which sadly the poor girl has found to her cost zoonosis can and do effect we humans,
The signs of fish that have become infected by this mycrobacteria include a loss of appitite, which can said to be a drastic loss.
Rapid weight loss and the wasting away of the fish .
Other signes include reddening of the skin which may turn into smallish ulcerations Pop-eye, irratic swimming behavour and hanging in the water for long periods
The only possible way to get a correct diagnosis is to send the fish in question away for testing at a lab, get a positive result all your fish must be destroyed, your pond drained and disinfected, then allowed to dry.
This also applies to any equipment you use........
Question do you wear gloves whilst working in the pond ???,
Me I do have them but rarely use them I find them bulky and clumsy to wear they are arm length and my hands tend to sweat in them I find them a pain to use eapecially cleaning my filters I think as a just in case from now on I will be wearing them as you never really know do you ??
There has been no follow up on this story I just hope she didnt have to loose her hand
But to finish in my studies I have come across more than one type of zoonosis some like TB infect the skin, we know about the effects of TB from this thread.
However what is frightening though is out of the six I've come across so far two of them are fatal to us humans.........


rgrds

Dave

 

[sissy]

Never heard of that and do wear gloves some of the times if i have a cut .But most times I put liquid skin over the cut .I get the waterproof stuff .I hate bandaids they always fall off .The liquid stuff stings like heck but it stays on ,but you have to take it off to let air get to the wound so it heals better .Most times you need a prescription for the waterproof stuff as they say people use it to get high with .it has a strong odor to it .Used to be able to get it without doctors prescription in some pharmacy but not any more .They are taking all the bath salts out of stores also because people use that too .I mostly use the surgical gloves ,but they make you sweat too .A rubber band keeps them tighter around the wrist .Never really thought of catching anything just did it to keep sore from getting infected .HMMMM MAKES YOU THINK

 

[Dave 54]

I had heard about it from one of my health books but had no idea the effects it could have on us then two years ago I was sent a book from my friend Isabel in Canaga fo Christmas it is called the Fundamentals of Ornamental Fish Healthby Helen E Roberts ISBN 9780813814018.
On leafing through it I came across a chapter about Zoonosis and the more I read the more I became horrified by what I read.
In the end Darn right scared I had no idea how our peaceful hobby could turn round and in two cases kill us stone dead .
Sometimes I look back at our 26 years of fish keeping like the time I slipped and gashed my elbow on the corner of the large Aquarium we used to keep koi in and wonder,( I had it stitched at the hospital)...
That gash is long healed and the stitches out, but the elbow from time to time itches like mad and the skin breaks open, is it something I caught from the tank I dont know ???
But I think next time it breaks open like that I'm off to the doctors to have him take a swab to send off to be tested just to see what it is.
Its always better to be safe than sorry ....

rgrds

Dave