Fish Tuberculosis

[Mentat]

Although frog pathogens do not infect humans; some fish and aquatic organisms do so and can cause serious health issues . I've been keeping fresh and saltwater aquariums for over 5 decades and been lucky so far; probably because of good fish keeping practices.

Since many of us do keep fish or snails in planted tanks; wanted to share this link to an excellent written article discussing fish TB and the genus Mycobacterium that causes it: Should you be worried about fish TB? | Blog | Practical Fishkeeping. There is no reason to panic and get rid of your tanks; but we should be knowledgeable about the pathogen, the precautionary measures, and what the infection looks like in a human. Good luck and health to all !

[tgampper]

Great job, Carlos. Mycobacterium is commonly found in water. People keeping highly aquatic frogs, such as, Xenopus (ACF), Pipa (Surinam toads), and Hymenochirus (ADF) should be especially aware of these nasty organisms. Treatment is not recommended since there is a chance of spreading the disease. Any frogs having the infection should be culled and properly disposed. Some species of bacteria can be transmitted to humans in the form of amphibian or fish tuberculosis. Symptoms include ulcerated skin lesions, lethargy, weight loss and coelonic distention (extreme bloating of the abdominal cavity and acute damage to the digestive tract), or the disease can cause sudden death without the skin lesions. This bacteria is assumed to be in all aquariums and will manifest itself under the right conditions (especially in instances of poor husbandry). Much easier to prevent than cure.

All keepers, especially those with aquatic frogs, must maintain proper water chemistry and cleanliness at all times.