I have never actually seen an ongoing case of this - poor girl.
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-fish-tank-infection,0,918985.story
Teen Battles Rare Skin Infection from Fish Tank Bacteria
No doctors have been able to get rid of the infection.
OAK HILLS (KTLA) -- After suffering a seemingly minor cut, a teen from San Bernardino County has been battling an invasive bacterial infection for five years.
13-year-old Hannele Cox cut her hand as she pulled it out of a fish tank.
"I pulled my hand out and got a little scratch, and from there, everything came tumbling down," Hannele told KTLA.
She thought nothing of the cut at first, until her mother, Amy, noticed the wound was oozing.
After a course of antibiotics proved ineffective, Amy took her daughter to a dermatologist, who diagnosed the problem.
The cut was infected with a rare bacteria called Mycobacterium marinum, also known as fish tank granuloma.
Hannele has been battling the infection since she was in the third grade, and her family fears she might ultimately have to have her hand amputated.
The bacteria is not contagious, but it causes skin wounds and, more alarmingly, eats away at deeper tissues and bones.
Doctors at both Loma Linda Medical Center and UCLA have tried all kinds of antibiotics and done two surgeries, but the bacteria continues to get stronger, and has become drug-resistant.
The "superbug" is now infecting the bones in Hannele's hand.
Her family recently found a specialist in Denver, Colorado, who is among the few to successfully treat this very rare infection.
In the meantime, Hannele is set to undergo a surgery -- her third -- at UCLA next week to remove dead and contaminated tissue.
Doctors also hope to get a better look at an infection in her hand bone.
Amy Cox says there was no way to know their fish tank was contaminated with Mycobacterium marinum.
It contained only a few freshwater fish -- common Tetras.
Mycobacterium marinum is found commonly in both freshwater and saltwater, but human Mycobacterium marinum skin infections are rare.
Infections are usually picked up from aquariums or fish that have tuberculosis.
The bacteria can enter the body through cuts or scrapes.
Despite the long road ahead, Hannele says she's determined to find a way to save her hand.
"It's constant pain," she said.
Hannele was a gymnast with Olympic aspirations, but pain in her hand and sickening medication forced her to give up tumbling.
She also quit volleyball, and she can't ride her horse, or even ride a bike.
"I am afraid of losing my hand," Hannele admitted. "I'm afraid of the things that I'm not going to be able to do when I grow older."
Hannele and her mom will head to Denver in the next couple of weeks to start treatment and surgery.
"I haven't really accepted it," her mom told KTLA. "I haven't accepted 'no'... that this is it. I'm still fighting."
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-fish-tank-infection,0,918985.story
Teen Battles Rare Skin Infection from Fish Tank Bacteria
No doctors have been able to get rid of the infection.
OAK HILLS (KTLA) -- After suffering a seemingly minor cut, a teen from San Bernardino County has been battling an invasive bacterial infection for five years.
13-year-old Hannele Cox cut her hand as she pulled it out of a fish tank.
"I pulled my hand out and got a little scratch, and from there, everything came tumbling down," Hannele told KTLA.
She thought nothing of the cut at first, until her mother, Amy, noticed the wound was oozing.
After a course of antibiotics proved ineffective, Amy took her daughter to a dermatologist, who diagnosed the problem.
The cut was infected with a rare bacteria called Mycobacterium marinum, also known as fish tank granuloma.
Hannele has been battling the infection since she was in the third grade, and her family fears she might ultimately have to have her hand amputated.
The bacteria is not contagious, but it causes skin wounds and, more alarmingly, eats away at deeper tissues and bones.
Doctors at both Loma Linda Medical Center and UCLA have tried all kinds of antibiotics and done two surgeries, but the bacteria continues to get stronger, and has become drug-resistant.
The "superbug" is now infecting the bones in Hannele's hand.
Her family recently found a specialist in Denver, Colorado, who is among the few to successfully treat this very rare infection.
In the meantime, Hannele is set to undergo a surgery -- her third -- at UCLA next week to remove dead and contaminated tissue.
Doctors also hope to get a better look at an infection in her hand bone.
Amy Cox says there was no way to know their fish tank was contaminated with Mycobacterium marinum.
It contained only a few freshwater fish -- common Tetras.
Mycobacterium marinum is found commonly in both freshwater and saltwater, but human Mycobacterium marinum skin infections are rare.
Infections are usually picked up from aquariums or fish that have tuberculosis.
The bacteria can enter the body through cuts or scrapes.
Despite the long road ahead, Hannele says she's determined to find a way to save her hand.
"It's constant pain," she said.
Hannele was a gymnast with Olympic aspirations, but pain in her hand and sickening medication forced her to give up tumbling.
She also quit volleyball, and she can't ride her horse, or even ride a bike.
"I am afraid of losing my hand," Hannele admitted. "I'm afraid of the things that I'm not going to be able to do when I grow older."
Hannele and her mom will head to Denver in the next couple of weeks to start treatment and surgery.
"I haven't really accepted it," her mom told KTLA. "I haven't accepted 'no'... that this is it. I'm still fighting."
