Waterborne Pathogens: Occurrence and Treatment

Dear Colleagues,

Human pathogenic microorganisms are ubiquitous in the global water environment, as a result of natural processes. Raw untreated domestic wastewater contains pathogens of all kinds, reflecting the relative health and illness of the population. Over 80% of the world’s wastewater is released to the environment without treatment. In some least-developed countries, more than 95% is discharged without treatment.[i] The quantity of wastewater discharged and its overall pollution load are increasing worldwide.

Once discharged into water bodies, treated and untreated wastewaters are either diluted, transported downstream, or allowed to infiltrate into aquifers. Consequently, pathogenic microorganisms are present in surface water sources of drinking water. Virtually any and/or all human enteric pathogens from a population could be present in raw wastewater, including bacteria (e.g., E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Shigella), viruses (e.g., Adenovirus, Norovirus, SARS-CoV-2), and protozoa (e.g., Cryptosporidium, Giardia). Wastewater treatment typically reduces, but does not eliminate, enteric pathogens from wastewater effluent discharge.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to report on recent scientific developments and practice regarding the occurrence of specific pathogens in water and/or wastewater and treatment processes for pathogenic removal and/or inactivation. The Special Issue will focus exclusively on pathogen occurrence and treatment, presenting current science and engineering developments to inform risk assessments and regulatory policy.[ii]

[i] "WWAP (United Nations World Water Assessment Programme). 2017. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2017: Wastewater, The Untapped Resource. Paris, UNESCO."

[ii] Development of new analytical methods for emerging pathogens, microbial risk assessments, estimates of waterborne disease burden and regulations are critically important topics but are not addressed in this special issue.

Prof. Dr. Frederick W. Pontius
Guest Editor

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• waterborne pathogens
• water quality
• water treatment
• drinking water
• waste water
• recycled water
• source water