Table 1.2
Most common waterborne diseases
Disease
Major causative
organism
Incubation
period
Source/transmission
Symptoms
Geographical
distribution
Traveler’s Diarrhea
Otherwise known as Aztec
two-step, Delhi belly Hong
Kong Dog, Montezuma
revenge, Rangoon runs,
Tourist trot
Escherichia coli
6–48 h
Drinking water with fecal
contamination
Frequent loose motions,
nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, bloating, fever,
urgency, and malaise.
Very common underdeveloped countries of
Asia, Africa, and South
America
Cryptosporidiosis
Cryptosporidium
sp.
2 days
À3 weeks
Feces contaminated water,
soil, food, and person to
person contact
Frequent loose motions,
nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, bloating, fever,
loss of weight, and malaise.
Spread across the
world
Higher in tropical
countries
Bacillary dysentery
Shigella
sp.
1–3 days
Feces contaminated water,
soil, food and person to
person, sexual contact with
an infected person
Diarrhea with blood and
mucous, stomach ache,
cramps, nausea, fever and
vomiting
Spread across the
world
Mostly in Underdeveloped countries
Typhoid or enteric fever
Salmonella
sp.
8–14 days
Feces contaminated water,
soil, food and occasionally
person to person contact
High fever, appetite loss,
diarrhea, body aches,
lethargy
All over the world,
especially regions with
poor sanitation facility
Cholera
Vibrio cholerae
12 h to
5 days
Contaminated water and
seafoods
High fever, appetite loss,
diarrhea, body aches, lethargy, abdominal cramps,
dehydration, shocks
All over the world,
especially regions with
poor sanitation facility
in coastal regions
Campylobacteriosis
Campylobacter jejuni
2–5 days
Ingestion of the organism
via contaminated food or
water, particularly raw or
undercooked meats or raw
milk, and from contact with
pets, farm animals, and
infected infants
Mild to severe bloody diarrhea, stomach ache, cramps,
nausea and/or vomiting
fever, headache, and muscle pain
All over the world,
especially regions with
poor sanitation
(continued)
1 Microbial Contamination of Drinking Water
9