Opportunistic Water-Borne Human Pathogenic Filamentous Fungi Unreported from Food

Abstract

Clean drinking water and sanitation are fundamental human rights recognized by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the Human Rights Council in 2010 (Resolution 64/292). In modern societies, water is not related only to drinking, it is also widely used for personal and home hygiene, and leisure. Ongoing human population and subsequent environmental stressors challenge the current standards on safe drinking and recreational water, requiring regular updating. Also, a changing Earth and its increasingly frequent extreme weather events and climatic changes underpin the necessity to adjust regulation to a risk-based approach. Although fungi were never introduced to water quality regulations, the incidence of fungal infections worldwide is growing, and changes in antimicrobial resistance patterns are taking place. The presence of fungi in different types of water has been thoroughly investigated during the past 30 years only in Europe, and more than 400 different species were reported from ground-, surface-, and tap-water. The most frequently reported fungi, however, were not waterborne, but are frequently related to soil, air, and food. This review focuses on waterborne filamentous fungi, unreported from food, that offer a pathogenic potential.

Are Unique Regional Factors the Missing Link in India’s COVID-19-Associated Mucormycosis Crisis?

“…These festivals typically involve the increased use and burning of cow dung, and devotees also bathe in holy river waters. Mucorales are known to exist in unpolluted surface waters ( 44 ) and probably have an even higher incidence in polluted waters. The practice of burying or burning corpses at the embankments of holy rivers in India, which escalated during the peak of the pandemic ( 45 ), could also increase the presence of microbial pathogens in those waters.…”

Water safety, antifungal-resistant aflatoxigenic aspergillus flavus and other pathogenic fungi in a community hand-dug wells

“…The recognition of health risks associated with fungal contamination in water is gaining more significance in microbiological safety and water quality (Hurtado‐McCormick et al, 2016; Oliveira et al, 2018). These adverse health effects are also contributed by fungal metabolites such as mycotoxins due to the ingestion of contaminated food and beverage, skin contact aerosolization and inhalation (Hageskal et al, 2009; Novak Babič et al, 2017, 2018). Several mould species known to be pathogenic, allergenic and toxigenic have been isolated from drinking water sources (Novak Babič et al, 2017).…”

Water-Transmitted Fungi Are Involved in Degradation of Concrete Drinking Water Storage Tanks

“…The presence of fungi in water has been known for a long time. Usually, the fungi have been connected to changes in taste, color, and odor of water [ 4 , 8 , 9 ], but lately, they have become increasingly recognized as emerging opportunistic pathogens, raising health concerns [ 4 ]. Mixed fungal bacterial biofilms often cause problems in industries, depending on the water sources used [ 8 ].…”