Re: [RML] Tropical Fish Granuloma

Mach T. Fukada (fukada at hawaii.edu)
Sun, 14 Jun 1998 13:32:12 -1000

Allmost the same thing that the vet that deals with fish here in Hawaii
said. It is everywhere. It can be present on plants, moist areas,
anything. There is allomst nothing we can do about it. More importantly
is to determine the conditions that makes M. marinum pathogenic. It seems
like most of the time it is a saprophyte or weak pathogen that affects fish
of compromised health (poor water quality (pH, ammonia, etc) over feeding,
etc. There have been reports of virulent pathogeninc strains running
ammuck and wiping out people (Fred Morita's swortail, platty, viartus,
opperation). In these cases virtually overnight it spread from a
asymptomatic fish to the rest of the tanks. However, I will admit that
after testing his water it seems that it had a hight pH (8.0) and now
buffering (KH effectively 0). So his pH fluctuates widely and I am sure
results in the fish being stressed out.

Adrian,
saw your article in the mag. looks good. Nice to see that some
bows are getting some good press. No Pseudomugils, I was bummed ;-(

MTF

>In my continuing quest to find a solution to the Mycobacteriosis problem
>faced by fishkeepers I stumbled across an article written in 1976 on
>Tropical Fish Granuloma. I will be reprinting the article in a future ANGFA
>Bulletin. However, here is an interesting extract:
>
>"Mansson reported a similar case in Sweden in 1970, and identified Daphnia
>as a possible source of infection. Mansson found M. marinum not only in a
>patient's skin lesions, but also in sand snails and dead fish in the
>patient's aquarium, and in mud in a pond from which Daphnia had been
>collected and fed to the fish. Also in 1970 were reported three more cases
>of M. marinum infection in California, all of aquarists who cut their hands
>just before or during work on a tropical aquarium.
>
>The first cases in the southern hemisphere were reported from Auckland, New
>Zealand, in 1971. One was a tropical fish keeper at the Auckland Zoo,
>another a pet shop owner, and a third a part time assistant in a pet shop.
>M. marinum was isolated from all three cases. Tanks at the Zoo and the pet
>shops, and also the elephant pond at the Zoo from which the keeper collected
>Daphnia, were checked for the presence of M. marinum. It was found in five
>tanks at the Zoo, and in a dead ram and a dead axolotl at the Zoo, but not
>at the other sites. Cultures from a Danish brand of dried daphnia were also
>negative (drying or freeze-drying would not kill M. marinum if it were
>present)."
>
>Adrian.
>
> ...............................................................
> Adrian R. Tappin
> "Home of the Rainbowfish"
> http://www.ecn.net.au/~atappin/home.htm
>
> ...............................................................

Mach T. Fukada, Web Master
fukada at hawaii.edu
Honolulu Aquarium Society
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/2948/HASF.html