Bacterial
🟠 Severe
Piscine Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium)
🦠 Mycobacterium marinum, M. fortuitum
📋 Overview
Mycobacterium causes granulomatous inflammation and slow wasting. Also causes skin lesions in humans handling infected water without gloves. No cure; culling infected fish and sterilising equipment is the standard management.
📊 Key Facts
Causative Agent
Mycobacterium marinum, M. fortuitum
Primary Host
Wide range of aquarium fish; especially zebrafish, gouramis, livebearers
Vaccine
✗ None / Experimental
💊 Treatment
⚠️ No universally approved treatment is currently available. The information below covers supportive care and experimental approaches.
No effective cure. Sanitise tank; consider euthanasia of visibly-affected fish.
🛡️ Prevention
ℹ️ Prevention is the most effective strategy for managing this disease in aquaculture and aquarium settings.
Wear gloves; strict quarantine of new arrivals.