We’ve not heard of recent cases of mycobacterium marinum among our cruising colleagues since Jim Bertch’s fight with this awful infection, see /118638, but Michael Tallman’s experience can well serve as a reminder that caution is called for when working in or around water.

I used to work in a water lab. One of my jobs was setting up the fish test for water toxicity. After working with the dead fish and cleaning containers, a small scratch on my finger became infected. It wouldn’t heal for six months and constantly produced pus. The dr. couldn’t diagnose or heal it. I was finally sent to a dermatologist, who correctly diagnosed mycobacterium marinum !
By then two nodules of the infection had traveled upward to my wrist and arm. I was told powerful antibiotics which may cause liver damage,may heal it, but the best treatment was surgical incision. Which was done for the two nodules and original infection site. This horrible bacterium lives in water, so beware of the smallest cut getting infected.
Michael Tallman, California.