Waterborne diseases
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Overview
Waterborne diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms which are directly transmitted when contaminated drinking water is consumed. Contaminated drinking water used in the preparation of food can be the source of foodborne disease through consumption of the same microorganisms. According to the World Health Organization, diarrheal disease accounts for an estimated 4.1% of the total DALY global burden of disease and is responsible for the deaths of 1.8 million people every year. It was estimated that 88% of that burden is attributable to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene and is mostly concentrated on children in developing countries.[1]
Waterborne disease can be caused by protozoa, viruses, bacteria, and intestinal parasites.
Protozoal infections
| Disease and Transmission | Microbial Agent | Sources of Agent in Water Supply | General Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amebiasis (hand-to-mouth) | Protozoan (Entamoeba histolytic) (Cyst-like appearance) | Sewage, non-treated drinking water, flies in water supply | Abdominal discomfort, fatigue, weight loss, diarrhea, gas pains Fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea |
| Cryptosporidiosis (oral) | Protozoan (Cryptosporidium parvum) | Collects on water filters and membranes that cannot be disinfected, animal manure, seasonal runoff of water. | Flu-like symptoms, watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, substantial loss of weight, bloating, increased gas, stomach |
| Cyclosporiasis | Protozoan parasite (Cyclospora cayetanensis) | Sewage, non-treated drinking water | cramps, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, low-grade fever, and fatigue |
| Giardiasis (oral-fecal) (hand-to-mouth) | Protozoan (Giardia lamblia) Most common intestinal parasite | Untreated water, poor disinfection, pipe breaks, leaks, groundwater contamination, campgrounds where humans and wildlife use same source of water. Beavers and muskrats act as a reservoir for Giardia. | Diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, bloating, gas and gas pains |
| Microsporidia | Protozoan (Microsporidiosis), but closely related to fungi | The genera of Encephalitozoon intestinalis has been detected in groundwater, swimming pool via AIDS patients and the origin of drinking water [1] |
Parasitic Infections
| Disease and Transmission | Microbial Agent | Sources of Agent in Water Supply | General Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schistosomiasis (immersion) | Schistosoma | Contaminated fresh water with certain types of snails that carry schistosomes | Rash or itchy skin. Fever, chills, cough, and muscle aches |
| dracunculiasis | dracanculus medinensis | drinking water containing infective cyclops | allergic reaction,urticarial rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, asthmatic attack. |
| taeniasis solium | taenia solium | contaminate drinking water with eggs | intestinal disturbances, neurologic manifestations, loss of weight, cysticercosis |
| fasciolosis | fasciola | contaminated drinking water with encysted metacercaria | GIT disturbance, diarrhea, liver enlargement, cholangitis, cholecystitis, obstructive jaundice. |
| hymenolepiasis nana | hymenolepis nana | contaminated drinking water with eggs | mild GIT symptoms, nervous manifestation |
| hyatidosis | echinococcus granulosus | contaminated drinking water with eggs | hyatid cyst press on bile ductand blood vessels, if it ruptured cause anaphylactic shock. |
| coenurosis | multiceps multiceps | contaminated drinking water with eggs | inreases intacranial tension |
| ascraiasis | ascaris lumbricoides | contaminated drinking water with eggs | Loefflers syndrome in lung, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malnutrition, underdevelopment, |
| enterobiasis | entrobius vermicularis | contaminated drinking water with eggs | peri-anal itch, nervous irritability, hyperactivity and insomnia |
| Disease | Morbidity (cases per year) | Mortality (deaths per year) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500,000,000 | 100,000 | |
| Schistosomiasis | 200,000,000 | 200,000 |
Bacterial infections
- Botulism - Clostridium botulinum bacteria - gastro-intestinal food/water borne; can grow in food
- Cholera - Vibrio cholerae bacteria - gastro-intestinal often waterborne
- Chronic granulomatous disease - caused by the Mycobacterium marinum infection and localized in skin, frequently occurred with aquarium keepers [1].
- Diarrhoeal diseases - caused by the water contamination of Cryptosporidium parvum [1].
- Dysentery - Shigella/Salmonella bacteria - gastro-intestinal food/water
- Legionellosis - cause Pontiac fever and Legionnaires' disease
- Typhoid - Salmonella typhi bacteria - gastro-intestinal water/food borne
- Vibrio illness caused by the bacteria of Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus commonly found in seafood and recreational water [1].
Viral Infections
- Adenovirus infection - its serotypes are typically waterborne [1].
- Astroviruses -
- Caliciviruses -
- Circoviruses - its human form of Transfusion Transmitted Virus found in feces, saliva, skin and hair [1]
- Coronaviruses - cause SARS and excreted in the feces [1]
- Enteric Adenoviruses -
- Hepatitis A - Hepatitis A virus - gastro-intestinal water/food borne
- Parvoviruses - associated with Gastroenteritis [1].
- Picobimaviruses - associated with Gastroenteritis in AIDS patients, children and elderlies [1].
- Polio - polioviruses - gastro-intestinal exposure to untreated
- Polyomaviruses - its human form of JC virus cause Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and detected in sewage [1]
- Small Round Structured Virus
Allergic infections
- Hay fever - a part of disease rate is associated with the high frequency of swimming pool attendance in childhood [1]
- Meningitis
- Trihalomethanes - a byproduct of chlorinated water which will cause bladder cancer through inhalation and dermal absorption during showering, bathing, and swimming in pools [1].
References
See also
- Drinking water
- Free-living amebic infection
- Portable water purification
- Public health
- Swimming pool sanitation
- Water pollution
- Water quality
- Water resources
External links
- ICS 91.140.60 Water supply systems - A series of the ISO standards
- World Health Organization
- Center for Diseases Control U.S.
- Safe Water for International Travelers gives a rating of water safety worldwide
- Genome information on Shigella and Salmonella is available at the NIAID Enteropathogen Resource Integration Center (ERIC)
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
