Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The presence of disease-causing microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa) on farmlands poses a serious threat to public health. Pathogens can cause surface water contamination by many processes, such as runoff, groundwater contamination through leaching, and food contamination through direct contact or irrigation with contaminated water. This is a critical national issue because of the widespread agricultural use of manures/biosolids, the growing problem of emerging viral diseases, and the limited research base on interactions between viruses in water with soils and food crops. It has been estimated that nearly 80 million dry tons of solid manure are generated annually by the beef, dairy, swine, and poultry industries in the U.S. Land application remains by far the most common and economic method to beneficially re-use these by-products of animal production. Properly treated manure is an effective and safe fertilizer, but untreated or improperly treated manure may contain pathogens that can reach fresh produce in the field, nearby surface waters and leach to ground waters; it is these affected waters that will be used for irrigation and for pesticide applications. Although viruses are not the only pathogens of concern, they are much smaller in size than other enteric pathogens, and can move better through the subsurface. Viruses also tend to survive longer than bacteria and protozoa in the environment and therefore pose greater threats for groundwater and produce contamination. Furthermore, viruses have been shown to be responsible for approximately 80% of waterborne disease outbreaks for which infectious agents were identifiable and 75% of the estimated cases of foodborne illness.
Author: Kyleigh K. Gloska
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2140430947