Coxsackieviruses are the most common nonpolio
enteroviruses found in domestic wastewater and in contaminated
surface water, groundwater, and drinking water.
These viruses can cause vomiting, fever, headache, rash, and
diarrhea and result in such serious outcomes as aseptic meningitis,
myocarditis, respiratory illness, encephalitis, and insulindependent
diabetes mellitus. Previous research investigating
enteroviruses in water samples treated the enteroviruses as a
group and did not focus on specific viruses. This article describes
a risk assessment approach to evaluate the potential public
health effects associated with drinking water and recreational
waters contaminated by coxsackievirus.
An exponential model developed from human dose-response
studies was used to describe the infectivity of coxsackievirus type B
and estimate daily and yearly risks of infection, morbidity, and mortality.
The stability of coxsackievirus in the environment, its resistance to
water treatment, and its association with a range of serious illnesses
underscore the importance of maintaining reliable and effective
treatment of wastewater and drinking water. Additional research is
needed on the occurrence of coxsackievirus in water supplies, with
viral testing focusing on identification of specific viruses rather than
viral groups. The resulting data will lead to a more complete database
that can assist in the decision-making process for water treatment
and watershed protection programs. Includes 83 references, tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. 95 - No. 7 |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 250 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 10 |
| Published : | 07/01/2003 |
