Meeting Abstract
Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is the main cause of Fish Handler’s Disease, a zoonotic disease that causes severe infections, joint stiffness and lymph node swelling. E. rhusiopathiae is found in the mucoprotein coating of fish. E. rhusiopathiae is contracted by humans when their skin is punctured or cut with a spine or scale of an affected fish, or if they get some of the mucoprotein coating into an already existing skin abrasion. Affected fish are asymptomatic carriers of the disease. Fish that were tested were caught in the Rio de las Piedras, several small streams feeding into the Las Piedras, and the fish markets of Puerto Maldonado, Peru. There is no literature that shows that E. rhusiopathiae is in this region of the world, however there is no record of it being tested for there at all. Each fish was swabbed down the ventral side, on both flanks and along the dorsal spine. Selective and differential media and staining techniques were used to confirm the presence of E. rhusiopathiae. Specifically, samples were grown on Triple Sugar Iron agar and tested for streptomycin resistance, catalase, and Gram stained. In total 20 fish were tested, all from various parts of the Rio de las Piedras and several tributaries. Fish tested included: Siluriformes, Pseudoplatystoma, Piaractus brachypomus, and several unidentified species. None of these fish tested positive for E. rhusiopathiae. Testing for this bacteria is important in this region of Peru, because many of the local people depend on fish as food for themselves and their families, as well as a source of income.
