ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Fish Tuberculosis

Updated on May 24, 2010
Fish tuberculosis of the marine kind infecting a human.
Fish tuberculosis of the marine kind infecting a human.

Fish tuberculosis is a particularly nasty fish disease more common than many might imagine, especially among anabantoids like Siamese Fighting Fish, although it can affect all kinds of fish, including marine fish.

What is Fish Tuberculosis? Is It Dangerous To People?

Fish TB isn't actually TB, though it does arise from bacteria found in the same family as human tuberculosis, and in some cases can infect humans. Typically the highest risks come from servicing infected marine tanks, because the marine version of fish TB, Mycobacterium Marinarum, is more transmissible to humans than other forms. In humans, the infection usually takes the form of purple lesions on the hands, these require immediate medical treatment as the disease can destroy flesh, so if you suspect that your tank is infected with fish TB, and if you've been noticing strange sores on your hands, get medical treatment as soon as possible.If you suspect that you have fish sick with fish TB, wear gloves, especially if you keep a marine tank.

Does My Fish Have Fish TB? What Does Fish Tuberculosis Look Like?

Sufferers of fish TB exhibit several symptoms, many of which are common to other fish diseases as well, however there are some types of fish TB. The first is listlessness, which is common to many fish illnesses, however listlessness soon transforms into refusing food and then eventually, wasting as the fish refuses to eat and grows progressively skinnier. A major sign of fish TB is a kinked spine, which many fish develop as the disease advances.

So, to summarize:

  • Listlessness
  • Clamped Fins
  • Refusing Food
  • Wasting Away
  • Kinked Spine

There are however, several diseases which may present this way and though you will certainly know that your fish is ill, it is very difficult to say that a fish has fish TB for sure without lab tests

How Do I Treat Fish TB?

Fish TB can sometimes be treated with broad spectrum antibiotics, however oftentimes once the disease is advanced to the stage where the fish is no longer eating and wasting away then euthanasia may be best. Diseases like fish TB can spread throughout entire communities of fish if affected specimens are not removed and treated, although as a caveat to that, some fish experts believe that various strains of Mycobacterium are present in the bulk of fish populations and it is simply stress that allows the infection to take hold.

The best cure, is therefore prevention. Have a water testing kit and use it. Ensure that ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all at acceptable levels. Do regular water changes. Ensure that your tanks are not over stocked and that the species within them are compatible. Constant bullying can kill fish. And at the end of the day, if you have done your best to keep your fish healthy, do not berate yourself too soundly. Fish get sick, sometimes in the most weird and fantastical ways, and all we can do is our best in caring for them.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)