The coastal environment and human health: microbial indicators, pathogens, sentinels and reservoirs.
Environ Health
; 7 Suppl 2: S3, 2008 Nov 07.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19025674
ABSTRACT
Innovative research relating oceans and human health is advancing our understanding of disease-causing organisms in coastal ecosystems. Novel techniques are elucidating the loading, transport and fate of pathogens in coastal ecosystems, and identifying sources of contamination. This research is facilitating improved risk assessments for seafood consumers and those who use the oceans for recreation. A number of challenges still remain and define future directions of research and public policy. Sample processing and molecular detection techniques need to be advanced to allow rapid and specific identification of microbes of public health concern from complex environmental samples. Water quality standards need to be updated to more accurately reflect health risks and to provide managers with improved tools for decision-making. Greater discrimination of virulent versus harmless microbes is needed to identify environmental reservoirs of pathogens and factors leading to human infections. Investigations must include examination of microbial community dynamics that may be important from a human health perspective. Further research is needed to evaluate the ecology of non-enteric water-transmitted diseases. Sentinels should also be established and monitored, providing early warning of dangers to ecosystem health. Taken together, this effort will provide more reliable information about public health risks associated with beaches and seafood consumption, and how human activities can affect their exposure to disease-causing organisms from the oceans.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Contexto en salud:
2_ODS3
/
3_ND
Problema de salud:
2_quimicos_contaminacion
/
3_zoonosis
Asunto principal:
Mariscos
/
Microbiología del Agua
/
Salud Ambiental
/
Ecosistema
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Environ Health
Asunto de la revista:
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Año:
2008
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos