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Protecting the Public Against Cryptosporidium
Author(s) -
Pontius Frederick W.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.1993.tb06038.x
Subject(s) - cryptosporidium , outbreak , chloramine , waterborne diseases , disinfectant , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , virology , medicine , chlorine , chemistry , feces , organic chemistry , pathology
Cryptosporidium is rather new to the waterborne disease game. First recognized as a human pathogen in 1976, it has been responsible for a number of outbreaks of waterborne disease, most notably the recent Milwaukee, Wisc., outbreak. Cryptosporidium appears to be widespread in the environment and is difficult to detect. While it is known to cause gastrointestinal distress, the infective dose is not known. Complicating matters is the fact that some outbreaks of waterborne disease attributed to cryptosporidium may in fact be cause by multiple factors, including hard‐to‐detect viruses. A review of recent outbreaks reveals that often, multiple causes are to blame. Cryptosporidium is difficult to kill; chlorine and chloramines are ineffective. Ozone is the most effective disinfectant, but filtration and watershed protection are the only conventional control practices available for fighting the microorganism. Although the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) does not regulate Cryptosporidium at present, the pathogen is on the USEPA's Drinking Water Priority List for possible regulation, and then Enhanced SWTR will set a maximum contaminant level goal of zero for Cryptosporidium. This article presents a good overview of information about Cryptosporidium.