Dr. Alai is an actively practicing medical and surgical dermatologist in south Orange County, California. She has been a professor of dermatology and family medicine at the University of California, Irvine since 2000. She is U.S. board-certified in dermatology, a 10-year-certified fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, and Fellow of the American Society of Mohs Surgery.
Frederick Hecht, MD, lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Hecht is a Pediatrician and Medical Geneticist and is certified by both the American Boards of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics. Dr. Hecht was born and raised in Baltimore and attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. and the Sorbonne at the University of Paris receiving his BA degree cum laude with distinction from Dartmouth.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Mycobacterium marinum (M. marinum) is a slow-growing atypical
bacteria that is commonly found in bodies of fresh or saltwater in many parts of
the world. Skin infections with Mycobacterium marinum in humans are
overall relatively uncommon and are usually acquired from contact with aquariums
or fish. Most infections occur following skin exposure to the bacteria through a
small cut or skin scrape. The first signs of infection with M. marinum
include a reddish or tan skin bump called a granuloma. Less commonly, a string
or batch of the small reddish bumps crop up on the exposed body area in a
classic pattern called sporotrichotic lymphangitis.
It is somewhat rare to acquire this infection from well-maintained swimming
pools because of protection afforded by proper chlorination. Mycobacterium
marinum does not typically grow at normal body temperature. That is why it
remains localized to the cooler skin surface. Overall, diagnosis and treatment
of this unusual skin infection is often delayed because of a lack of suspicion
for this atypical mycobacterial versus more common bacteria like Staphylococcus.
What are other names for Mycobacterium marinum?
Some synonyms for Mycobacterium marinum and the resulting skin infections include tropical fish granuloma, fish tank granuloma, M. marinum, acid-fast mycobacteria, saltwater infection, freshwater infection, marine infection, marine bacteria, water-borne bacteria, and water-borne bacterial infection.
How common is Mycobacterium marinum?
Although rare, infections can occur worldwide, most commonly in individuals with occupational and recreational exposure to fresh or saltwater. In the United States, infections caused by
M. marinum are rare, with an annual estimated annual incidence of 0.27 cases per 100,000 adults. Of the approximately 100-150 annual cases, most are simple skin infections. The infection is very rare in children and is typically a disease of adults.
Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, warmth, swelling, redness and pain. There are over 100 types of
arthritis including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, gout,
and pseudogout.
Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone. Potential causes include injections around the bone, fractures that puncture the skin, recent surgeries, and bacterial infections that travel from other areas of the body, spreading through the blood to the bone. Symptoms include pain, fever, chills, stiffness, and nausea. Treatment involves antibiotics and pain medications. Surgery is sometimes necessary.
Septic arthritis, or infectious arthritis, is infection of one or more joints by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Symptoms and signs of septic arthritis include fever, joint pain, chills, swelling, redness, warmth, and stiffness. Treatment involves antibiotics and the drainage of the infected joint.
Septic, or infectious, arthritis is infection of one or more joints by
microorganisms. Normally, the joint is lubricated with a small amount of fluid
that is referred to as synovial fluid or joint fluid. The normal joint fluid is
sterile and, if removed and cultured in the laboratory, no microbes will be
found. With septic arthritis, microbes are identifiable in an affected joint fluid.
Most commonly, septic arthritis affects a single joint, but occasionally more
joints are involved. The joints affected vary somewhat depending on the microbe
causing the infection and the predisposing risk factors of the person affected.
Septic arthritis is also called infectious arthritis.
What microbes cause septic arthritis?
Septic arthritis can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The most
common causes of septic arthritis are bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus
and Haemophilus...
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