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ESTIMATING THE RISK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH PATHOGENS IN DRINKING WATER
Citation:
Hurst*, C J. ESTIMATING THE RISK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH PATHOGENS IN DRINKING WATER. Chapter 29, C.J. Hurst et al (ed.), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, Second Edition. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, , 309-319, (2001).
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Description:
Most of the microorganisms present in aquatic environments seem to have no effect upon the health of humans. However, some clearly do represent a public health risk, and for this reason the latter are considered to be pathogenic in nature and referred to as being "pathogens". The true definition of the term pathogen means "something that causes pathological changes" in the appearance of cells and tissues. Often the "pathogen" is the entire organism viewed as an infectious agent. In other cases, however, the "pathogen" is a toxic substance produced by a non-infectious organism, and some toxins such as those produced by algae and cyanobacteria can bioaccumulate within the food chain to extremely high concentrations. This chapter addresses those organisms which are infectious for humans, and while some of these represent aquatic contaminants that come from either human or animal reservoirs, others represent organisms which naturally are present in the environment.
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ESTIMATING THE RISK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH PATHOGENS IN DRINKING WATER