Having aquariums can be hazardous to your health!!!

laurenrocksth

laurenrocksth

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Jun 24, 2008
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So, I'm in school to be a PA and we had an interesting lecture today. It was actually on HIV, but my teacher brought up an interesting point.

He said that immunocompromised people (such as those with HIV, hepatitis, cancer, transplant recipients, etc) really shouldn't have or be near aquariums due to the risk of infection; specifically with a bacteria called Legionella. Infection with this bug results in Legionaire's disease which can result in drug-resistant pneumonia... not a great thing. This bacterium likes warm, damp places... like your fish tank.

When I asked my teacher (the Dean of my program) if properly maintained tanks were as apt to become contaminated as those that weren't, he looked at me like I had 1 million heads :)
 
Seems like there are many other things that would be bigger risks for an immunocompromised person.
 
I am probably wrong, but I understood that legionare's needed a hotter (90f ish) and damp (not wet, not even dripping, just really humid) environment. Did your teach give you any examples of this happening?
 
Nope... but we also went over STDs today, so I was a little preoccupied :)

In previous classes, we've talked about Legionella as a result of working aroung AC units and the like, but never aquariums. I'll see if I can find some research on it.
 
Hmmm... just did some research

It seems as though there was an outbreak of Legionella among people who visited the Melbourne Aquarium in April of 2000. The organism wasn't associated with the tanks per se, but with the cooling units. Maybe if you run chillers, they could become contaminated??? Do they get warm like the outside of an air conditioner?
 
I think doctors can be quite irresponsible telling people to get rid of pets (cats, fish etc) because they may be disease vectors--with no consideration of how miniscule the risk is and how pets and hobbies can be hugely beneficial to mental and physical health.
 
There are many organisms that live in aquarium water regardless of maintenance. The water is not sterile and therefore not immune to infections.

Strongyloidasis is one parasite that fish can have and never show illness. It can be fatal to humans. Another one is fish TB. The TB can be transmitted from fish to humans. Given the above information I would have to say your professor looked strangely at you for daring to ask a question he might think to be ignorant or stupid.

It is funny that I am watching Animal Planet right now and it was describing these problems!

BTW- if the show had not been on I wouldn't have known any different.
 
The bacteria grow best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems, or parts of the air-conditioning systems of large buildings.
Click to expand...
http://www.cdc.gov/legionella/patient_facts.htm

The organism has been isolated in natural aquatic habitats (freshwater streams and lakes, water reservoirs) and artificial sources (cooling towers, potable water distribution systems). Freshwater amoebae appear to be the natural reservoir for the organisms.2 Optimal growth temperature is 28-40°C; organisms are dormant below 20°C and are killed at temperatures above 60°C.
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http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/965492-overview

Legionella organisms are readily found in natural aquatic bodies and some species have been recovered from soil. The organisms can survive in a wide range of conditions, including temperatures of 0 to 63o C, pH of 5.0 to 8.5, and dissolved oxygen concentrations of 0.2 to 15 ppm in water. Temperature is a critical determinant for Legionella proliferation. Colonization of hot water tanks is more likely if tank temperatures are between 40 and 50oC (104 to 122o F).
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http://www.legionella.org/general_info.htm#n2



I highly doubt the common aquarium gets hot and humid enough for it to be a serious threat, especially to someone in decent health.
 
Yes, I would say there are many things in an aquarium, or anywhere else that could be a problem for an immunocompromised person...
 
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