Wright Huntley's article is excellent in its shortness and clearness and he points out the major facts:
Antibiotics only work specifically. Through our uncontrolled use we
already have created lots of multiresistant pathogenic bacteria. People
still tend to think that antibiotics still work against bacteria.
Meanwhile they do not in many cases.
Mycobacterium is present in nearly all aquaria. You can't disinfect
it as every new fish or plant will bring it back.
Antibiotics need prescription here in Europe and are not freely
available. For a good reason!
If you use antibiotics and there I contradict Wright, you have to
make a resistance test. We have some veterinaries over here specialised
in koi and they can do.
No one has to die of fish tuberculosis (Mycobacteria, "fish tuberculosis") if we don't take away the weapons:
antibiotics which still work.
The threat for aquarists is enormous that one day fish tuberculosis might become
really dangerous. There already was one known death from this here in Germany. He
had fish tuberculosis, it was not diagnosed correctly and when it was diagnosed correctly his arm
bone already was damaged. So they had to either cut off his arm
or take strong antibiotics. He died because his immune system broke down
upon lung infestation. We must not forget that antibiotics have many side
effects on people (and fish, of course).
