I've not seen this statement before... do you suppose they really are safe???

[gwand]

Yes indeed. One of my sneezes when sick could infect the entire planet. I think I started Covid!

 

[Colin_T]

The gourami Iridovirus can affect any Betta or gourami, regardless of species. Dwarf gouramis (Colisa lalius) are the most commonly infected but other gouramis (blue/ gold, pearl, silver, honey, etc, can all get the Iridovirus. The virus is highly contagious and remains in aquariums even after the gouramis and Bettas have died. Aquariums must be thoroughly cleaned before adding new Bettas or gouramis if the aquarium had the virus present.

Some companies in Asia have their fish tested before export and provide a vet certificate saying the fish are free of the Iridovirus, TB or whatever else. In Australia the federal quarantine department takes samples of fish (gouramis and Bettas) that have been imported and get them tested for the Iridovirus and other diseases. If the fish are free of the virus, they can be released for sale. However, if the fish have the virus, the entire batch is destroyed.

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This is a little off topic of aquarium fish... but this information begs the safety of eating these fish... one would assume that proper cooking would be effective at preventing a transfer to humans eating the fish ( Tilapia were also mentioned, & I do raise Tilapia to eat ), but proteins were mentioned, & cooking of proteins doesn't always stop their bad properties... and then there is the problem of raw consumption of Oysters, and many fish, in the form of sushi, and since this sounds like an issue with both fresh & salt water fishes... ( I don't eat any raw fish, being in the food industry... but I do like a pretty rare steak once in a while )... it's been discussed how difficult it can be to remove some of these virus's from an aquarium... should one be concerned with eating farm raised fish???

Heat (60C+) will kill most things on the planet including viruses and bacteria like TB. Most viruses and TB are found in the organs so if you avoid eating them (especially raw) you should be fine. Don't feed raw organ meat to pets either, not unless you are 100% certain they are free of TB. The Iridovirus is unlikely to jump species from fish to person or dog but it's still preferable to cook food properly. Fish TB can infect people and animals causing a localised infection called a granuloma.

You have a much higher chance of getting sick from eating chicken or something in a hospital, than catching something from fish.