ATLANTA – Emerging biofilm-associated pathogens are overtaking those transmitted by the fecal-oral route as the most-common cause of death from waterborne illness in the United States, according to findings from a review of administrative and disease-specific surveillance data.
Between 2003 and 2009, a mean of 2,516 deaths occurred per year as a result of exposure to 1 of more of 14 different waterborne germs or diseases, including campylobacteriosis, cryptosporidiosis, Escherichia coli infections, free-living amoeba, giardiasis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, hepatitis A, Legionnaires’ disease, nontuberculous Mycobacterium, otitis externa, Pseudomonas, salmonellosis, shigellosis, and vibriosis, Julia Gargano, Ph.D., reported in a poster at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
James Heilman, M.D./CC BY-SA-3.0/Wikimedia Commons
One of the most common causes of death from waterborne illness was Pseudomonas pneumonia.
The most commonly documented causes of death, accounting for 88% of deaths, were Pseudomonas pneumonia or P. septicemia, nontuberculosis Mycobacterium, and Legionnaires’ disease – all biofilm pathogens. For those illnesses potentially linked to ingestion of contaminated water – as opposed to those associated with inhalation and contact – the most-commonly documented causes of death were hepatitis A, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and vibriosis, noted Dr. Gargano of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta.
The findings were obtained from U.S. death certificates, the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, and disease-specific surveillance.
Although surveillance data consistently show that transmission of waterborne diarrheal diseases continue, such diseases are rarely fatal in the United States. Further, advances in water treatment and sanitation have reduced the burden of such diseases.
The findings of this study demonstrate that the burden of mortality has shifted.
“This is the first time the annual number of deaths due to potentially waterborne disease has been calculated, and [the findings] highlight the emerging trend in biofilm-related illness,” she wrote.
Dr. Gargano reported having no financial disclosures.