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OVERVIEW OF WATER MICROBIOLOGY AS IT RELATES TO PUBLIC HEALTH
Citation:
Hurst*, C J. OVERVIEW OF WATER MICROBIOLOGY AS IT RELATES TO PUBLIC HEALTH. Chapter 18, C.J. Hurst, et al (ed.), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, Second Edition. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, , 181-183, (2001).
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
One of the most important aspects of water microbiology is that we acquire numerous diseases from microorganisms found in water. Some of these diseases represent intoxications. One category of intoxication comes from drinking water which contains toxins produced by cyanobacteria such as Anabaena and Microcystis. A second category of intoxication is associated with dinoflagellates such as Gambierdiscus, Gonvaulax, and Ptychodiscus; aquatic microorganisms which produce neurotoxins that can become biologically concentrated in the tissues of reef fish and shellfish. The majority of human diseases associated with water are infectious in nature. The magnitude of human morbidity and mortality associated with these infectious diseases has led to the development of epidemiological surveillance studies. The associated pathogens include numerous bacteria, viruses and protozoa. These water related infectious hazards can be characterized according to various schemes. One such approach divides the hazards into four categories based upon the source of the involved pathogen and the route by which human recipients contact that pathogen. Those categories are: Infections that are water borne; infections caused by aquatic organisms; infections from water related insect vectors; and infections associated with inadequate washing.
