Reddish mullet

Reddish mullet
Reddish mullet ( Garra rufa )
Systematics
Order : Carp-like (Cypriniformes) Subordination : Carp fish-like (Cyprinoidei) Family : Carp fish (Cyprinidae) Subfamily : Labeoninae Genre : Garra Type : Reddish mullet
Scientific name
Garra rufa
( Heckel , 1843)

The doctor fish ( Garra rufa , also Kangalfisch or Knabberfisch ), English doctor fish , is an up to 14 centimeters of large shoal of fish of the family Cyprinidae (Cyprinidae). A reddish color of the caudal fin is characteristic . It lives near the bottom of flowing fresh water in the area of ​​the fertile crescent .

The biologist Johann Jakob Heckel first mentioned the species scientifically in 1843, under the synonym Discognathus rufus . Garra rufa became known as doctor fish through its use for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes in humans, where it is used to nibble off horny skin areas, especially on the feet.

Occurrence and diversity

The reddish mullet occurs in some flowing fresh waters in the Jordan , the Orontes , the Euphrates - Tigris system as well as in some coastal rivers of northern Syria and southern Turkey. Above all, a population from the Kangal region in Turkey became known, after which it is named.

In Kangal they naturally live in very nutrient-poor waters ( thermal springs ) with an average temperature of 35 ° C. The water of the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey is rich in heavy metals with particularly high concentrations of Co , Cu , Ni , Pb , V and Zn in the river sediments. The fish found there also had increased values ​​for Cu, Ni and Zn. The pollution can be of geochemical origin, but it could also come from the Ergani copper smelter.

Since they are disjoint , the reddish sucking barbel appears genetically diversified . The diploid chromosome set is 2n = 44.

behavior

Under the natural, nutrient-poor conditions, the fish graze on the periphyton , which is the growth of small green algae on stones and plants. For example, they swim towards people without hesitation and nibble off the softened upper layers of skin. Test subjects sometimes describe this process as "nudging" the affected areas of skin. Here, skin particles loosen and are eaten by the fish.

The numerous taste buds on the lips, sides, abdomen, forehead area, gill cover and all fins, especially close to the lips, forehead area, pectoral and anal fins, are striking . They are assigned an important role in foraging for food.

Ichthyotherapy and skin care

Foot treatment with mullets

Sucking barbs when removing skin flakes

The doctor fish is an alternative medicine in the so-called Ichthyotherapy ( Greek  ἰχθυς ichthys , fish 'and Greek  θεραπεία therapeia , service, service, service, care of the sick') of psoriasis ( psoriasis ) are used. The treatment takes place by exposing the affected areas of skin in a tank with approx. 150 fish per patient.

A pilot study with no control group , published in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine , let the authors Grass Berger and high 2006 conclude that Ichthyotherapy in combination with a short-term UVA therapy option for patients with the irradiation psoriasis could be (psoriasis vulgaris) . The authors see the removal of the hyperkeratotic plaques by the fish used as a likely mechanism of action. In addition, the applied UVA radiation and psychological mechanisms are discussed. In the opinion of the authors, randomized and controlled, prospective studies would be necessary for a more precise explanation of the reduction in the PASI score observed in the Austrian therapy center .

Reports in which the secretion of a dithranol- containing secretion by the fish is inaccurate, since dithranol is a synthetically produced substance which is used as a medicament in medicine against psoriasis . Also unlikely are reports that saliva is injected into the skin when fish “nibble” on human skin. The jaws of the Garra rufa do not seem anatomically to allow this process.

The fish are also used for cosmetic purposes in foot care (“fish pedicure”). Reports of the medical success of the reddish mullet and of the rejuvenating or skin-cleansing function of "nibbling" have led to a boom in the trade in small carp fish. You can now buy or rent them in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. There they are known as kangal fish or nibble fish. Otherwise you can book cures in thermal baths or baths with your own inventory . In Turkey, health insurances are supposed to grant co-payments for treatments in the home area of ​​the fish.

Health risks

The use of the reddish sucking barb on humans harbors infection-hygienic risks.

Bacterial transmission

Bacterial pathogens can be transmitted from one patient through the fish to other patients, especially Aeromonas , Pseudomonas and mycobacteria , among others. Aeromonas spp. and Pseudomonas spp. can grow on the mucous membranes of the fish. Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. grow only on damaged mucous membranes of the fish. Enterobacteria do not infect the fish, but can be transmitted via the water. Mycobacterium marinum can grow and be transmitted in various fish tissues. Mycobacterium piscium can occur naturally in fish and can infest them after being transmitted to patients. The Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Public Health Service (ÖGD MV) also points out that, for example, Erysipelothrix spp., Mycobacterium marinum and Vibrio vulnificus can be transmitted from fish to humans. Fish-specific streptococci ( Streptococcus agalactiae ) were detected in reddish absorbent barbs that were resistant to some antibiotics. It is not known whether they can infect humans.

It is not clear whether human skin or blood germs can be passed on from one person to another via the fish.

Viral infections

A fish-specific birnavirus that has been known to humans can not infect. However, human RNA viruses can persist in fish for a few minutes and can be briefly transmitted to other patients. Human DNA viruses do not become virulent in the fish organism and are not transmitted.

Risk reduction

The risk of transmission is handled differently in the Central European therapy centers: Either the fish are used in several patients and quarantined between two uses, or they are killed after the treatment in order to rule out any risk of microbiological transmission of pathogens from the fish to humans. However, according to ÖGD MV, it is unclear what effect the temporary quarantine of the fish has on the human-to-human transmission risk , especially since there is a long incubation period for certain blood contact infections .

In October 2011, scientists from the British Health Protection Agency (HPA) assessed the risk of infection with a “fish pedicure” as “probably very low”, provided that appropriate hygiene regulations are observed. The research group concluded that customers with compromised immune systems or background medical conditions, including diabetes and psoriasis, were likely to have an increased risk of infection. The fish pedicure is not recommended for such customers, the providers should refrain from advertising this group.

Legal evaluation

Due to its international popularity, the export of the reddish mullet is now a criminal offense in Turkey .

The State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia points out that Garra rufa, as a vertebrate, is fully protected under the German Animal Welfare Act . Commercial keeping for cosmetic and wellness purposes is not permissible according to this view, because keeping the fish inflicts unavoidable pain, suffering and damage that cannot be reconciled with a reasonable reason. Legally, kangalfish are to be seen as medicinal products when used on humans, similar to medicinal leeches or fly maggots for treating wounds . If they are used to alleviate or heal illnesses, an alternative practitioner's permit is required. The classification as a medicinal product is supported by the State Office for Health and Social Affairs Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the Saxon State Ministry for Social Affairs and Consumer Protection . According to the State Research Institute for Health and Veterinary Affairs in the Free State of Saxony, applications for breeding Garra rufa for therapeutic purposes must be processed by the responsible drug monitoring authority; Health authorities are not supposed to give permission to use the kangal fish. The Hessian Ministry of the Environment banned the commercial use of kangal fish in mid-January 2012 with reference to animal welfare. There are also similar regulations in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg .

The Administrative Court of Gelsenkirchen ruled on May 15, 2014 (16 K 5116/12) that the use of fish in a hairdressing studio can bring about benefits for the treated customer that significantly exceeds the possible suffering of the fish. The Cologne Administrative Court also ruled on July 16, 2015 (13 K 1281/14) that the use of the Garra rufa as “nibble fish” in a cosmetic studio, if certain conditions are complied with, corresponds to animal welfare and can therefore be permissible. The issuing of conditions is a suitable and less drastic means of ensuring animal welfare-friendly husbandry.

In a specialist information sheet from February 2012, the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office (FVO) recommends that the enforcement authorities reject requests for the use of kangalfish for cosmetic purposes, referring to Article 3 letter a and Article 4 paragraph 2 of the Animal Welfare Act. Such use would be assessed as “disregard for the dignity of the animal” or “excessive instrumentalization” in the course of the weighing of interests. The benefit for humans is to be weighted less than the burden for the fish. In connection with the use of the fish, there are inevitably stressful situations associated with a considerable risk of injury, especially when moving the animals.

In some states of the USA the use of Garra rufa for "fish pedicure" has been banned due to hygiene concerns.

Other use by humans

The fish are no longer regarded as a source of food, but were used for this purpose in the Stone Age by Neanderthals and early anatomically modern humans in the Jordan Valley of today's Israel.

Anthropogenic threat

In individual occurrences, the fish are or were collected by humans in order to use and sell them for ichthyotherapy outside their home waters. Individual occurrences in Turkey have therefore been placed under protection. Another hazard comes from water pollution (eutrophication) from industry and agriculture. Another threat is posed by man-made changes in the fauna caused by invasive species that can displace the reddish sucking barbel locally or regionally, such as the South American pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (Weber, 1991) in the Asi River in Turkey.

literature

• Peter L. Jarvis (2011): Biological Synopsis of Garra rufa , Can. MS Rpt. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2946: vi + 14p. PDF full text .
• S. Durna, F. Bardakci, N. Degerli: Genetic diversity of Garra rufa Heckel, 1843 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) in Anatolia. In: Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. Volume 38, Issue 1, Elsevier 2010, pp. 83-92. doi : 10.1016 / j.bse.2009.12.009 ISSN  0305-1978 .
• Association of Doctors in the ÖGD in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hygiene Working Group: Use of Kangal fish and monitoring by the Public Health Service (ÖGD) in MV , information and work material for the ÖGD in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, February 23, 2006.
• Health Protection Agency: Guidance on the management of the public health risks from fish pedicures , UK Health Protection Agency guidelines for avoiding health risks from fish pedicures, 31 August 2011.

Web links

Commons : Garra rufa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Reddish mullet on Fishbase.org (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Reddish sucking barb / Garra rufa. On: Wild Animals.de
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Irit Zohar, Rebecca Biton: Land, lake, and fish: Investigation of fish remains from Gesher Benot Ya 'aqov (paleo-Lake Hula). In: Journal of Human Evolution Volume 60, No. 4, 2011, pp. 343-356.
3. ↑ Nashat A. Hamidan, Sayeeda Me: The status of Garra ghorensis in Jordan: distribution, ecology and threats. In: Zoology in the Middle East Volume 30, No. 1, 2003, pp. 49-54. doi : 10.1080 / 09397140.2003.10637987 .
4. ^ Brian W. Coad: Zoogeography of the fishes of the Tigris-Euphrates basin. In: Zoology in the Middle East Volume 13, No. 1, 1996, pp. 51-70. doi : 10.1080 / 09397140.1996.10637706 .
5. ↑ ^{a b} Serap Ergene Gözükara, Tolga Çavas: A karyological analysis of Garra rufa (Heckel, 1843) (Pisces, Cyprinidae) from the Eastern Mediterranean River Basin in Turkey. In: Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences Vol. 28, No. 3, 2004, pp. 497-500.
6. ↑ ^{a b c d} Bahattin Gümgüm, Zeki Tez, Zülküf Gülsün: Heavy metal pollution in water, sediment and fish from the Tigris River in Turkey. In: Chemosphere Vol. 29, No. 1, 1994, pp. 111-116. doi : 10.1016 / 0045-6535 (94) 90094-9 .
7. ↑ Cemil Kara, Ahmet Alp, Mustafa Simsekli: Distribution of fish fauna on the upper and middle basin of Ceyhan River, Turkey. In: Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Volume 10, No. 1, 2010, pp. 111-122.
8. ↑ ^{a b c} Martin Grassberger, W. Hoch: Ichthyotherapy as alternative treatment for patients with psoriasis: a pilot study. (PDF) In: Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 3, No. 4, 2006, pp. 483-488.
9. ↑ ^{a b c} Murat Sayili, Hasan Akcaa, Teoman Dumanb, Kemal Esengun: Psoriasis treatment via doctor fishes as part of health tourism: A case study of Kangal Fish Spring, Turkey. In: Tourism Management Volume 28, No. 2, 2007, pp. 625–629. doi : 10.1016 / j.tourman.2006.08.010 .
10. ↑ ^{a b} The “doctor fish” in the pet shop - healing therapy as a new business field ( Memento of the original from December 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Zoologischer Zentralanzeiger 4/2003, p. 20. 
11. ↑ Sevgi Durna, Fevzi Bardakci, Naci Degerli: Genetic diversity of Garra rufa Heckel, 1843 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) in Anatolia. In: Biochemical Systematics and Ecology Volume 38, No. 1, 2010, pp. 83-92. doi : 10.1016 / j.bse.2009.12.009 .
12. ↑ Doctor fish skin care by sucking barbel. On: focus.de
13. ↑ K. Cinar, N. Şenol, N. Kuru: The distribution of taste buds in Garra rufa. In: Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia Volume 37, No. 1, 2008, pp. 63-66. doi : 10.1111 / j.1439-0264.2007.00802.x .
14. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from January 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ATS Sprachendienst Dictionary ancient Greek-German 
15. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} K. Heistinger, H. Heistinger, H. Lussy, N. Nowotny: Analysis of potential microbiological risks in Ichthyotherapy using Kangal fish (Garra rufa). In: Proceedings of the 4th Global Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Conference, the Egyptian International Center for Agriculture, Giza, Egypt, 3. – 5. October 2011. Massive Conferences and Trade Fairs, 2011.
16. ↑ ^{a b c} State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection North Rhine-Westphalia (LANUV NRW): Animal protection: Use of kangal fish (red mullet, Garra rufa) for cosmetic purposes not permitted! Press release, September 29, 2011.
17. ↑ ^{a b} Neil M. Ruane, Evelyn M Collins, Michelle Geary, David Swords, Cathy Hickey, Fiona Geoghegan: Isolation of Streptococcus agalactiae and an aquatic birnavirus from doctor fish Garra rufa L. (PDF) In: Irish Veterinary Journal Volume 66, No. 1, 2013, p. 16.
18. ^ ^{A b} Association of Doctors in the ÖGD in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hygiene Working Group: Use of Kangal Fish and Monitoring by the Public Health Service (ÖGD) in MV , February 23, 2006.
19. ↑ Health Protection Agency (HPA): Fish pedicures unlikely to cause infection ( Memento of the original from November 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , October 18, 2011. 
20. ↑ LANUV NRW: Use of kangal fish (Garra rufa) for cosmetic and therapeutic purposes ( Memento of the original from November 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 252 kB); Circular letter to district administrators, mayors and the Aachen city council, 29 September 2011. 
21. ↑ State Research Institute for Health and Veterinary Affairs Saxony: Use of kangalfish for cosmetic and therapeutic purposes In: LUA-Mitteilungen 01/2013 , p. 20. PDF full text .
22. ↑ Christoph Süß: Pedicure in the gray area In: Frankfurter Rundschau , June 22, 2012.
23. ↑ Federal Veterinary Office : Page no longer available , search in web archives: Kangal- Fisch, Fachinformation Tierschutz No. 4.1_ (2) _d, February 14, 2012.
24. ↑ Fish pedicure safety in question In: BBC News Health , November 28, 2011.
25. ↑ SY Ozdilek: Possible threat for Middle East domestic water: an exotic and invasive species, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (Weber, 1991) in Asi River, Turkey (Pisces: Cichlidae). ( Memento of the original from April 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The  archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) In: Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science Volume 24, 2007, pp. 303-306.