ABSTRACT
The emergence of waterborne pathogens such as
Cryptosporidium species and verotoxigenic Escherichia
coli (VTEC) has become of increasing concern globally.
Pathogens are considered emerging if the number of inci-
dence or outbreaks in humans has increased over the last
20 years or if increased incidence is suspected to occur in
the future. Waterborne pathogens are organisms harmful to
humans that contaminate water and can be classified as
bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Most waterborne patho-
gens originate in the feces of infected humans and animals.
By hydrological pathways, pathogens may subsequently
contaminate water. Transmission to humans normally
occurs via a fecal-oral pathway, where the pathogen is
ingested through the mouth (in water, food, or other
means). Also, zoonotic fecal-oral transmission can occur
where the pathogen is transmitted between animals and
humans. With the availability of drinking water being the
most critical factor for survival, waterborne pathogens
continue to remain a public health issue throughout the
world. An important issue, however, is that the number of
reported outbreaks/illnesses from waterborne pathogens is
likely to be a substantial underestimate of actual outbreak/
illness data due to voluntary reporting of incidence.
