A Word Of Warning..(updated)

[The_Eggman_1972]

2 months ago i cut my finger a tiny cut so thought nothing of it,i then had a new tank given which i cleaned out and prepared for use.Over the next week or so i then noticed my cut looking a bit weepy and red again thought nothing of it within a few days my finger was swollen and so was my hand i then sought medical attention from my doctor i was placed on 12 antibiotics a day (1000mg) for 10 days no beer as well this cleared some of the infection i then noticed a red lumps on my hand and forearm the infection had spread and was tracking up my arm and was in my lymphatic system,i was then prescribed another course of antibiotics which failed to quell it im now on a antibiotic cream which seems to be easing it the cause seems to be anaerobic bacteria that was present in the tank and that infected my cut.


Now been back to the Dr's this Friday saw a different one and he has prescribed a 10 day course of antibiotics @ 500mgs each twice a day as lump was looking very angry and red..

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES...

i would hate someone else to suffer the same..

 

[Lynz781]

Oh dear get well soon. I wash my hands as soon as I'm finished any fish business but next time I do any I 'll think of what happened to you and be really careful!!

You wouldn't happen to have pictures of your ailments? Sorry if its a wierd question I'm just curious.

 

[sharkbaitwoohaha]

i wold like to see too! lol.
sorry to hear its made you ill. i saw it on city hospital about some fella who it happened to.
im not particularly careful m afraid and have had little bit of soreness in the past on a cut on my hand.
i joke ive got fin rot.

 

[raptorrex]

2 months ago i cut my finger a tiny cut so thought nothing of it,i then had a new tank given which i cleaned out and prepared for use.Over the next week or so i then noticed my cut looking a bit weepy and red again thought nothing of it within a few days my finger was swollen and so was my hand i then sought medical attention from my doctor i was placed on 12 antibioticsa day (1000mg) for 10 days no beer as well this cleared some of the infection i then noticed a red lumps on my hand and forearm the infection had spread and was tracking up my arm and was in my lymphatic system,i was then prescribed another course of antibiotics which failed to quell it im now on a antibiotic cream which seems to be easing it the cause seems to be anerobic bacteria that was present in the tank and that infected my cut.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES...

i would hate someone else to suffer the same..

ouch!! i spent two weeks in hospital after i scratched myself on a nail, whilst sorting a garden! got some sort of spiral bacterial infection. i have found a solution though, SILVER sticking plasters! no joke, silver is the perfect anti bacterial even kills MRSA!

 

[andyt_uk]

i have found a solution though, SILVER sticking plasters! no joke, silver is the perfect anti bacterial even kills MRSA!

tis true... silver is excellent, there are some old articles on this forum about using a silver solution to cure bacterial infection in the aquarium
maybe the government could help sort the NHS out by cutting out all the wastage on the choose and book system than no-one uses, and scrapping the national program, then clawing loads of money back from accenture & BT, and then coating all hospitals in silver to rid us of mrsa


cheers

andy (off his high horse) T

 

[fenwoman]

Since I am working outside a lot and tend to get dirty wounds with soil, rust and possibly even chicken poo in it, the very best thing I have ever found is simple hydrogen peroxide. It is very cheap. Pour onto any fresh wound and watch the filth and bits fizz out. If I don't wash out with this stuff right away a nasty infection sets in, but pouring this on even a day or so after and once the wound is red and weepy, just stops the infection dead. I stood on a rusty nail once a couple of years ago and when I pulled it out of my foot I squirted so peroxide into the puncture wound with a syringe, you should have seen all the rust particles fizz out and the wound was completely healed within a week. Amazing stuff.

 

[WILDER]

Get well soon.

 

[Richie Hell]

Thanks for the warning! We're always covered in cuts from work.

I think I read some news somewhere, maybe the PFK site, that you can get salmonella from your tank sometimes too.

 

[raptorrex]

i have found a solution though, SILVER sticking plasters! no joke, silver is the perfect anti bacterial even kills MRSA!

tis true... silver is excellent, there are some old articles on this forum about using a silver solution to cure bacterial infection in the aquarium
maybe the government could help sort the NHS out by cutting out all the wastage on the choose and book system than no-one uses, and scrapping the national program, then clawing loads of money back from accenture & BT, and then coating all hospitals in silver to rid us of mrsa


cheers

andy (off his high horse) T

lol there is a firm just down the road from me, that makes MRSA proof clothing, NHS wont use it!!! Go figure ???

 

[Opcn]

If you have a cut you can get an infection from any number of places, unfortunately the fish tank is one of them, fortunately for you fresh water folks there aren't that many bad bacteria that can survive in freshwater and in the saltwater running in your veins that isn't already every where.

 

[Bignose]

...the cause seems to be anerobic bacteria that was present in the tank and that infected my cut.

I hope you get well soon, this sounds pretty nasty. But, I am very curious if your doctor told you it was the anaerobic bacteria that infected you? Because most anaerobic bacteria are killed pretty quickly when they come into contact with air or even well oxygenated water. They really can only live in a fishtank in very few places, like under a deep layer of substate. That, and since your cells need oxygen to live, there is oxygen in pretty much all of your body's tissues, so it doesn't seem likely to me that anaerobic bacteria was the culrpit. Though, I certainly concede I could be wrong on this.

Anyway, there are a large number of bacteria in our tanks, wearing gloves is a must for anyone who is immunocompromised in anyway: sick, on certain drugs, or even if you are pregnant. Wearing gloves for the rest of us probably is a decent idea, but you washing you hands after every time they are in the tank is a must for everyone.

 

[alisdairkr]

Perhaps keeping your tetanus injections up to date would be a good idea (talking of which )

 

[WILDER]

http/www.flippersandfins.net/FishTankGranuloma.htm

 

[kev350d]

lol there is a firm just down the road from me, that makes MRSA proof clothing, NHS wont use it!!! Go figure ???

MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) Is present all around us (not only in Hospitals), its only more common there due to the surgical nature that take place in such establishments, MRSA can be transferred simply by touch, when MRSA is outside the body the person is generally unharmed, the main threat of MRSA is when the bacterium gets inside the body, because this is when infection is caused. The easiest ways for MRSA to get into the body is through wounds or surgical scars.

Well you just have to be aware that MRSA does not usually harm healthy people, but it can affect people with certain long-term health problems, especially those who have chronic skin conditions and open wounds. People who are ill are vulnerable to infections.


So as far as preventive measures go protective clothing will have no benefit over cleanliness and regular washing of the hands upon entering and exiting medical establishments. Most preventive measures for infection control are down to good hygiene and common sense.

The day i can find long enough gloves to allow me to reach the substrate in the trigon 350 and allow me to work comfortably is the day i'll be a happy man, until then i'll just ensure to thoroughly wash my mittens with a good antibacterial scrub.

(Wife is a nurse and i was extremely paranoid about her bringing this bacteria into our home and into direct contact with myself and the kids so i had the ins n outs explained to me).

Just remember you to can already carry this bug in your nose as well as its cousin Staph Aureus and remain tottaly asymptomatic so dont worry about the clothing not being offered

 

[WILDER]

Well said kev.