Are Birdsnest toxic?

[ThatGuy]

Just curious if anyone knows if Pink Birdsnest have toxins. Only reason I ask is I had one shatter/stab my wrist the other day while working in my tank. Poored some alcohal on it and that was it. Now today it looks like a small rash on my wrist not sure if I should be conserned. Maybe take some benedryl when I get home.

 

[9supratt4]

Keep an eye on it. They are not toxic, but you can get mycobacterium marinum from our tanks. You can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycobacterium_marinum Nothing to mess with...lots of horror stories!

 

[ATLL765]

If it gets more red or inflamed or hurts, call a Dr.

If it stays the way it looks now, it's probably just scratches and irritation.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Very sound advice from both of you. Keep an eye on it Josh. If it starts getting any worse at all, go see a Dr.

 

[mnat]

The coral itself is not toxic, but like the above posters said they can have things on them. Also if a fragment get into your skin it can cause an infection.

 

[ThatGuy]

So far so good. Just looks like above picture. I just know some of these corals have some nasty defences and got a little nervous.

 

[@marko@]

Looks like an allergic reaction, but I'm not a physician so I'm not gonna tell you you're all in the clear. If it were me I'd just observe and let it go away on its own unless it got worse.
M. marinum rarely infects people. Usually the immunocompromised, and most often its fisherman, not aquarists. Like any mycobacteria its nasty and warrants looking out, but don't get overly concerned about any little cut - we are poor hosts for it.