''Mycobacterium marinum'' is a slow growing fresh and saltwater

mycobacterium ''Mycobacterium'' is a genus of over 190 species in the phylum Actinomycetota, assigned its own family, Mycobacteriaceae. This genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis (''Mycobacterium tuberculo ...

(SGM) belonging to the genus ''Mycobacterium'' and the phylum Actinobacteria. It was formerly known as ''Mycobacterium balnei''. The strain marinum was first identified by Joseph D. Aronson in 1926 and it is observed as a pathogenic mycobacterium causing tuberculosis-like infections in fish (mycobacteriosis) and skin lesions in humans. The bacteria grows optimal at a temperature around 30 °C.

Human infection

:''See

aquarium granuloma Aquarium granuloma (also known as fish tank granuloma and swimming pool granuloma) is a rare skin condition caused by a non-tubercular mycobacterium known as ''Mycobacterium marinum''. Skin infections with ''M. marinum'' in humans are relatively un ...

'' ''Mycobacterium marinum'' is an acid-fast, aerobic bacterium which can infect humans. Infection is usually associated either with swimming, preparing sea food, or with keeping or working with aquarium fish. Infections of humans are rare due to the chlorination of water. The bacteria penetrate the skin through trauma, usually from bites, injuries from fins, and penetration from foreign objects. The infection is not transmittable from person to person. The bacteria invade macrophages, preventing the fusion of phagosome-lysosome and replicating inside. A rare case of human infection was detected when a three year old American child was bitten by an

iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti, J.N. Laurenti in ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

in March 2022. It is the first bite related infection as most infections develop when an open wound comes into contact with contaminated water. The case was part of the programme of a scientific congress in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

in April 2023.

Phylogeny

Initial phylogenetic studies using the gene 16S rDNA sequence data shows ''M. marinum'' is close to ''M. tuberculosis'' and ''M. ulcerans''. Whole

genome A genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding genes, other functional regions of the genome such as ...

sequence of ''M. marinum'' (M strain) was first published in 2008 and later with the emergence of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), marinum type strain or patient isolates genome sequences were published.

References

{{Authority control marinum Fish diseases