Dropsy is actually Mycobacterium piscum (Tuberculosis) ??

[CaseyA]

I was broadening my fish education at the following site and if I'm understanding it correctly, dropsy is the Betta manifestation of a Tuberculosis infection. Is that correct?

The site is http://www.fishyportal.com/cgi-bin/pub/diag?c=v&id=49

Given the site's description of disease progression, does it make sense to treat a fish with a consistently swollen abdomen and translucent skin over the abdomen?

[LittleBettaFish]

I'm pretty sure dropsy is just a symptom of kidney failure and the underlying cause can be anything from bacterial to parasitical.

I had a fish present with dropsy (bloating and 'pineconing') and it turned out to be the result of a massive parasite load.

If it was only TB that caused it, anyone with dropsy affected fish would be told to nuke their tanks as that is one nasty disease and pretty sure it is what can cause flesh-eating bacteria in extremely rare cases in humans.

[xShainax]

My mickey mouse platy died from dropsy so did a otto

[CaseyA]

Originally Posted by LittleBettaFish

I'm pretty sure dropsy is just a symptom of kidney failure and the underlying cause can be anything from bacterial to parasitical.

I had a fish present with dropsy (bloating and 'pineconing') and it turned out to be the result of a massive parasite load.

If it was only TB that caused it, anyone with dropsy affected fish would be told to nuke their tanks as that is one nasty disease and pretty sure it is what can cause flesh-eating bacteria in extremely rare cases in humans.

I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to fish but I know the primary mammalian flesh eating disease is caused by a streptococcus bacterium (though others have emerged--scary, isn't it??) not a mycobacterium. From what I've read on the fish TB it is really nasty stuff, though.

So it's safe to say that while fish TB causes dropsy in bettas, it's not the only disease to cause dropsy in bettas. Correct?

[CaseyA]

Originally Posted by xShainax

My mickey mouse platy died from dropsy so did a otto

:( Poor guys. Sorry to hear that.

[Olympia]

Is it possible that it is just a difference in severity? To my understanding most fish are carrying fish TB all their lives, usually under control. Dropsy also is a symptom of fish TB I think. So really severe dropsy is fish TB?
Dropsy can have a lot of causes though, agreed. In fancy goldfish it's usually the result of gulping too much air from the surface.
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[CaseyA]

Originally Posted by Olympia

Is it possible that it is just a difference in severity? To my understanding most fish are carrying fish TB all their lives, usually under control. Dropsy also is a symptom of fish TB I think. So really severe dropsy is fish TB?
Dropsy can have a lot of causes though, agreed. In fancy goldfish it's usually the result of gulping too much air from the surface.
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Fish carry mycobacterium in a dormant form? Wow, didn't know that. So, if a fish is hit with parasites or another bacterial illness that compromises the immune system, the TB has the opportunity to break out of the immune system's barriers and cause TB in addition to the disease that started the ball rolling.

Fascinating. (Does my biology geekiness show? ;) )

[Olympia]

Yea, I read it's the second most common illness after ich in fish.
As you know diseases don't just come from no where, and fish are carrying pretty much all common illnesses all the time (or they are in the aquarium in general). Bacteria, Protists, or Fungi will begin to multiply once the environment is more suitable for them (fish becomes weaker for some reason). That's why ich is so common in shops, it's the disease caused by stress. People get sick from stress too.
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[xShainax]

I never got an outbreak of ICH but I have rid ich plus just incase