rabbut
I don't bite, all that often...
It safe to add a full capasity of fish same day, thats why we cycle fishlessly 
If the water was with the corpse, that would have been where the nitrite came from; the decomposing body. You should bag the water sample and corpse seporately, prefurably in seporate frozen food bags, to avoid water sample contamination
I'm almost certain that if others are showing symptoms, either bacterial or parasitic organisums are at work. Considering the symptoms and speed of spread I'd say it's bacterial. If you are in the UK? I'd dose with Interpet number 7 (I think it's 7) Anti-internal Bacteria
HTH
Rabbut

If the water was with the corpse, that would have been where the nitrite came from; the decomposing body. You should bag the water sample and corpse seporately, prefurably in seporate frozen food bags, to avoid water sample contamination

I'm almost certain that if others are showing symptoms, either bacterial or parasitic organisums are at work. Considering the symptoms and speed of spread I'd say it's bacterial. If you are in the UK? I'd dose with Interpet number 7 (I think it's 7) Anti-internal Bacteria

HTH
Rabbut