Fish Tank Granuloma Caused byMycobacterium marinumin Two Aquarists: Two Case Reports

Abstract

Mycobacterium marinum, the cause of chronic systemic infections in fish, occasionally causes granulomatous skin and soft tissue lesions in humans. Cutaneous mycobacterial infection in two patients owing to unusual circumstances is presented in this report. The first patient was infected through improper hygienic behavior, while infection in the second patient was previously misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis and treated with methylprednisolone for a period of three months, which resulted in a rare systemic spread ofM. marinuminto the bones of the hand, testis, and epididymis. Simultaneously, screening for possible sources ofM. marinuminfection in patients' aquaria revealed positive fish harboring VNTR profiles identical to those obtained for clinical isolates from patients.