Aphasia is an inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain regions. The major causes are stroke and head trauma; prevalence is hard to determine but aphasia due to stroke is estimated to be 0.1–0.4% in the Global North. Aphasia can also be the result of brain tumors, brain infections, or neurodegenerative diseases (such as dementias).To be diagnosed with aphasia, a persons speech or language must be significantly impaired in one (or more) of the four aspects of communication following acquired brain injury. Alternatively, in the case of progressive aphasia, it must have significantly declined over a short period of time. The four aspects of communication are auditory comprehension, verbal expression, reading and writing, and functional communication. The difficulties of people with aphasia can range from occasional trouble finding words, to losing the ability to speak, read, or write; intelligence, however, is unaffected. Expressive language and receptive language can both be affected as well. Aphasia also affects visual language such as sign language. In contrast, the use of formulaic expressions in everyday communication is often preserved. For example, while a person with aphasia, particularly expressive aphasia (Brocas aphasia), may not be able to ask a loved one when their birthday is, they may still be able to sing "Happy Birthday". One prevalent deficit in the aphasias is anomia, which is a difficulty in finding the correct word. : 72 With aphasia, one or more modes of communication in the brain have been damaged and are therefore functioning incorrectly.
Therefore, more common skin conditions, like cellulitis, foreign body reaction, skin cancer, and fungal or parasitic infections, are often explored first. Overall, diagnosis and treatment of this rare skin infection is often delayed because of a lack of suspicion.Lab tests for finding M. marinum include cultures where a swab or sample is taken and grown in the laboratory. Cultures of M. marinum are fairly difficult to grow, and results may take several weeks. The culture may be negative, even if there is an active infection. Treatment may still be considered even if the test results are negative, especially if the patients history supports past fish or fish-tank exposure. In the absence of positive culture results, a skin or tissue biopsy may be a helpful test to render a microscopic diagnosis. Another technique that can be used to detect the bacteria is Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A biopsy sample itself is sufficient to detect the exact type of bacteria by means of PCR. Prevention
Avoid fresh or saltwater activities if there are open cuts, scrapes, or sores on the skin, especially in water where this bacterium is known to exist. Wear heavy gloves (leather or heavy cotton) while cleaning or processing fish, especially fish with sharp spines that may cause cuts to the hands and skin. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after fish processing or use a waterless cleanser. Wear waterproof gloves while cleaning home aquariums or fish tanks.