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Waterborne Diseases
Waterborne Diseases
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 in children in developing countries.
Waterborne disease can be caused by protozoa, viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
To see an illustration how our water supply can become contaminated by common toxins, click here; http://www.ecowateraz.com/go/how-water.php
Dysentery
Dysentery’s Roots
Dysentery is most commonly caused by one of two different organisms: One is a bacterium called Shigella; the other is caused by an amoeba. Shigella is the most important cause of bloody diarrhea because it destroys cells that line the large intestine, which leads to mucosal ulcers in the intestine. The mucosal ulcers cause the bloody diarrhea. Ingesting as few as 10 to 100 bacteria, which can be contained in a tiny amount of infected food or water, can cause disease.
Amoebic dysentery is prevalent in regions where human excrement is used as fertilizer. The amoebas that cause dysentery can form cysts, which are like bacterial spores that can become inactive and highly resistant to environmental conditions. In other words, they can live a long time outside the body and then reactivate and cause disease when conditions become favorable.
Cysts and live amoebas are excreted in the feces of an infected person, but only the cysts can survive outside the body. The amoebic infection is milder in comparison with bacterial dysentery. Despite this, amoebic dysentery is more difficult to treat and cure; bacterial dysentery responds better and more quickly to treatment.
Both types of dysentery infect people of diverse age, sex, and ethnic backgrounds, although children are more susceptible.
Protozoal infections
| Disease and Transmission | Microbial Agent | Sources of Agent in Water Supply | General Symptoms |
| Amoebiasis (hand-to-mouth) | Protozoan (Entamoeba histolytic) (Cyst-like appearance) | Sewage, non-treated drinking water, flies in water supply | Abdominal discomfort, fatigue, weight loss, diarrhoea, gas pains Fever, abdominal pain |
| 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 diarrhoea, 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. | Diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort, bloating, gas and gas pains |
| Microsporidiosis | Protozoan (Microsporidia), 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 [2] |
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,urticaria rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, asthmatic attack. |
| taeniasis solium | taenia solium | contaminate drinking water with eggs | intestinal disturbances, neurologic manifestations, loss of weight, cysticercosis |
| fasciolopsis | 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 duct and blood vessels, if it ruptured cause anaphylactic shock. |
| coenurosis | multiceps multiceps | contaminated drinking water with eggs | increases intacranial tension |
| ascariasis | ascaris lumbricoides | contaminated drinking water with eggs | Loefflers syndrome in lung, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, 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
- Campylobacteriosis
- 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.[
- Diarrheal disease due to E. coli.
- Dysentery – Shigella/Salmonella bacteria – gastro-intestinal food/water
- Legionellosis – cause Pontiac fever and Legionnaires’ disease
- Leptospirosis-
- Otitis externa- “Swimmer’s Ear”
- Typhoid – Salmonella typhi bacteria – gastro-intestinal water/food borne.
- Salmonellosis – due to many Salmonella species. Water/food/direct contact borne.
- Vibrio illness caused by the bacteria of Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus commonly found in seafood and recreational water.
Viral Infections
- Adenovirus infection – its serotypes are typically waterborne
- Astroviruses –
- Caliciviruses –
- Circoviruses – its human form of Transfusion Transmitted Virus found in feces, saliva, skin and hair.
- Coronaviruses – cause SARS and excreted in the feces.
- Enteric Adenoviruses –
- Hepatitis A – Hepatitis A virus – gastro-intestinal water/food borne
- Parvoviruses – associated with Gastroenteritis
- Picobimaviruses – associated with Gastroenteritis in AIDS patients, children and elderlies.
- Polio – polioviruses – gastro-intestinal exposure to untreated.
- Polyomaviruses – its human form of JC virus cause Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and detected in sewage
- Small Round Structured Virus
