agd: Waterborne disease

Evidence: 57 • authority: 92

Nanotechnology for water disinfection and biofilm control: mechanisms, applications, and future outlook.. Nanotechnology has emerged as an advanced, sustainable approach to controlling the spread of waterborne pathogens in aquatic environments, addressing a critical global health challenge that causes millions of deaths each year. Increasing pressures from rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and climate change have heightened the need for innovative, efficient water treatment technologies. Although conventional disinfection methods, such as chlorination and ozonation, remain widely used, their use is often associated with the formation of harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs).…

Evidence: 57 • authority: 72

Travelers' diarrhea (TD) is a stomach and intestinal infection experienced during travel to a new location as a result of lack of immunity to local food-borne pathogens. TD is defined as the passage of unformed stool (one or more by some definitions, three or more by others) while traveling. It may be accompanied by abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, headache, and bloating. Occasionally dysentery may occur. Most travelers recover within three to four days with little or no treatment. About 12% of people may have symptoms for a week. Bacteria are responsible for more than half of cases, typically via foodborne illness and waterborne diseases. The bacteria enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC…

Evidence: 57 • authority: 72

Dysentery (UK: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehydration. The cause of dysentery is usually the bacteria from genus Shigella, in which case it is known as shigellosis, or the amoeba Entamoeba histolytica; then it is called amoebiasis or amoebic dysentery. Other causes may include certain chemicals, other bacteria, other protozoa, or parasitic worms. It may spread between people. Risk factors include contamination of food and water with feces due to poor sanitation. The underlying mechanism involves…

Evidence: 57 • authority: 72

An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease is an illness resulting from an infection, and some infectious diseases are also communicable (transmissible). Infections can be caused by a wide range of pathogens, most prominently bacteria and viruses. Hosts can fight infections using their immune systems. Mammalian hosts react to infections with an innate response, often involving inflammation, followed by an adaptive response. Treatment for infections depends on the type of pathogen involved. Common medications include: Antibiotics for bacterial infection…

Evidence: 54 • authority: 72

Evidence: 51 • authority: 88

Evidence: 51 • authority: 80

Evidence: 51 • authority: 80

Evidence: 51 • authority: 72

Foodborne illness (also known as foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease), and toxins such as aflatoxins in peanuts, poisonous mushrooms, and various species of beans that have not been boiled for at least 10 minutes. While contaminants directly cause some symptoms, many effects of foodborne illness result from the body's immune response to these agents, which can vary significantly between individuals and populations based on prior exposure. Symptoms vary depending on the cause. They often include vomiting, fever, aches, and diarrhea and dehy…

Evidence: 51 • authority: 72

An opportunistic infection is an infection that occurs most commonly in individuals with an immunodeficiency disorder and acts more severely on those with a weakened immune system. These types of infections are considered serious and can be caused by a variety of pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Under normal conditions, such as in humans with uncompromised immune systems, an opportunistic infection would be less likely to cause significant harm and would typically result in a mild infection or no effect at all. These opportunistic infections can stem from a variety of sources, such as a weakened immune system (caused by human immunodeficiency virus and acquired i…

Evidence: 45 • authority: 72

Evidence: 45 • authority: 72