Contamination of water resources by pathogenic bacteria.

Pramod K Pandey,Michelle L Soupir,Sagor Biswas,Philip H Kass,Vijay P Singh

doi:10.1186/s13568-014-0051-x

Pramod K Pandey, Michelle L Soupir + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13568-014-0051-x

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Abstract

Water-borne pathogen contamination in water resources and related diseases are a major water quality concern throughout the world. Increasing interest in controlling water-borne pathogens in water resources evidenced by a large number of recent publications clearly attests to the need for studies that synthesize knowledge from multiple fields covering comparative aspects of pathogen contamination, and unify them in a single place in order to present and address the problem as a whole. Providing a broader perceptive of pathogen contamination in freshwater (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, groundwater) and saline water (estuaries and coastal waters) resources, this review paper attempts to develop the first comprehensive single source of existing information on pathogen contamination in multiple types of water resources. In addition, a comprehensive discussion describes the challenges associated with using indicator organisms. Potential impacts of water resources development on pathogen contamination as well as challenges that lie ahead for addressing pathogen contamination are also discussed.

Highlights

Water-borne pathogen contamination in ambient water bodies and related diseases are a major water quality concern throughout the world
Pathogen contamination is a serious issue for almost all types of ambient water bodies, making its recognition and understanding essential (U.S EPA 2012a)
We provide a brief discussion describing water-borne pathogen footprints and potential challenges associated with the use of indicator organisms for assessing water quality

Summary

Introduction

Water-borne pathogen contamination in ambient water bodies and related diseases are a major water quality concern throughout the world. Pathogen contamination is a serious issue for almost all types of ambient water bodies, making its recognition and understanding essential (U.S EPA 2012a). Because of the overwhelming scientific evidence for climate change (IPCC 2007), it is important to understand how perturbations in weather patterns can potentially impact pathogen levels in water resources. To meet future demands of water for food, energy, and ecosystems, increasing water storage structures (i.e., dams) must be a component of long-range planning (World Bank 2010). Such new structures can potentially degrade water quality and exacerbate public health risk

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