Fungal contaminants in drinking water regulation? : a tale of ecology, exposure, purification and clinical relevance

Novak Babič, Monika (author), Gunde-Cimerman, Nina (author), Vargha, Márta (author), Tischner, Zsófia (author), Magyar, Donát (author), Veríssimo, Cristina (author), Sabino, Raquel (author), Viegas, Carla (author), Meyer, Wieland (author), Brandão, João C. (author)

Microbiological drinking water safety is traditionally monitored mainly by bacterial parameters that indicate faecal contamination. These parameters correlate with gastro-intestinal illness, despite the fact that viral agents, resulting from faecal contamination, are usually the cause. This leaves behind microbes that can cause illness other than gastro-intestinal and several emerging pathogens, disregarding non-endemic microbial contaminants and those with recent pathogenic activity reported. This white paper focuses on one group of contaminants known to cause allergies, opportunistic infections and intoxications: Fungi. It presents a review on their occurrence, ecology and physiology. Additionally, factors contributing to their presence in water distribution systems, as well as their effect on water quality are discussed. Presence of opportunistic and pathogenic fungi in drinking water can pose a health risk to consumers due to daily contact with water, via several exposure points, such as drinking and showering. The clinical relevance and influence on human health of the most common fungal contaminants in drinking water is discussed. Our goal with this paper is to place fungal contaminants on the roadmap of evidence based and emerging threats for drinking water quality safety regulations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: drinking water, fungi, fungal contaminants, Aspergillus, in water, Candida, moulds, molds, mycotoxins, behaviour mapping
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2017
• Number of pages: 44 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 14, iss. 6, art. 636
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-131081
• UDC: 579
• ISSN on article: 1661-7827
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14060636
• COBISS.SI-ID: 4349775
• Publication date in RUL: 22.09.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of environmental research and public health
• Shortened title: Int. j. environ. res. public health
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1661-7827
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1024430420

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 13.06.2017

Projects

• Funder: NHMRC - National Health and Medical Research Council
• Funding programme: Project Grants
• Project number: 1031952
• Name: DNA barcoding of pathogenic fungi as the basis for the development of novel standardized diagnostic tools

• Funder: NHMRC - National Health and Medical Research Council
• Funding programme: Project Grants
• Project number: 1121936
• Name: Closing the gap in early diagnostic capabilities for mycoses - DNA barcoding to combat an emerging global health problem