We are going to finish the discussion of some of the most common water bore illnesses. We have discussed Giardia and E. Coli. Sometimes known as beaver fever and travelers trots respectively. Today we are going to learn about the organism called Cryptosporidium which also causes a diarrheal illness called Cryptosporidiosis. This organism wasn’t discovered until 1976, unlike E. Coli which was observed with some of the most primitive microscopes over a hundred years ago. It has been found to be one of the most common waterborne diseases and is found worldwide.
Once again, it is transferred by the fecal – oral route, usually by drinking infected water or by poor sanitation practices and not washing hands. It is most hardy and easily transmitted as a cyst or the “Egg” form, and, if it is taken into your body, it hatches and goes into the intestinal tissue. Now this organism is not much of a danger to those with a good immune system. In those people, after a brief period of diarrhea, the patient often feels better and and their immune system kills the organism. However, the patients with weak or compromised immune systems (the very young, elderly, organ transplant patients, patients taking medications that effect the immune system and Immunodeficiency diseases), the body cannot kill the organism, and the infection can last for months or years. While healthy people have a 2 to 4 week bout of watery diarrhea, these patients can have acute/persistent diarrhea that is watery with some mucus (or lining from the stomach), stomach pain, cramps and fever, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, and limited uptake of food.
This organism is found in many of the fresh water bodies of the United States and can be carried by almost any mammal, especially Humans, dogs, cats, cattle, sheep and goats. There is now evidence that it has moved to cold-blooded reptiles when many Leopard gecko breeders came down with it. It has now been found in lizards, iguanas, tortoises and snakes. So almost any fecal material should be suspected as being possibly infected.
Now once again, what can we do to avoid this disease? To be honest, this disease is carried often by humans and water parks and pools are common sources of infection, as well as some very old, municipal water supplies that do not have some of the more modern purification methods. If you go swimming, try not to drink the water and wash your hands before handling food or anything that will go in your mouth. Let it also be noted that, as a cyst, it is very resistant to chlorine disinfection. It is easily killed by Ultraviolet light purifiers and can be filtered out again by 1 micron filters. It also can be killed by boiling your water.
For the Healthy patient, treatment usually can be handled by over the counter diarrhea medications. For those that do not have as robust systems, the patient can have symptoms for months or years and must be treated in the hospital. Now, I am sure most of you are fine and healthy, but I can guarantee that if you live long enough you will become elderly (One of my patients when I ask him how to live to be over a hundred like him told me to “Keep breathing and it will happen sooner or later”).
So, what have we learned about Waterborne illness in the past few weeks? Well, I am washing my hands a whole lot more than I used to! I am going to get a Water Filter to take camping because this is the easiest way to purify your drinking water. I am also going to start disinfecting my water tanks more because, even if you can’t use enough Chlorine to kill these organisms and still use it for drinking water (it would make you ill), you can kill them in your tanks and lines then flush them out thoroughly, and, if you use good water, you should be safe. I am also going to be much, much more careful around the DUMP STATION! I plan on getting LOTS of disposable gloves and a bottle of pure bleach to spray everything down and generally being much more careful not to touch anything that does not need to be touched and cleaning well afterwards.
So, when the fecal matter strikes the rotating blades, you should always suspect water these days no matter how cool and clean it looks. You should also remember that, if you can’t get rid of your diarrhea by over the counter treatment, do not delay in seeking care at a local hospital if you are becoming dehydrated, having bloody stools or other debilitating symptoms. I also hope I never have to see any of you professionally for these problems!
Your Obedient Servant,
Gary Smith, Jr.
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charles cox
Thanks for a very good article about water contaminants. The things you researched also make me afraid to drink water or go swimming.
My wife & I are dealing with another problem from which we may get diarrhea. Her father is in a nursing home and has been on heavy antibiotics for several months for an infected diabetic foot. As a result he has diarrhea caused by 2 different antibiotic resistant bacteria (C. diff & VRE-vancomycin resistant E.coli) as well as a MRSA (methicillin resistant staph) infection in his foot.
Between your articles on water borne diarrhea and the contamination we are exposed to in contact with her father and his room- we are both “jumpy” if we aren’t “constipated”.
thanks again for such good information. chuck
neal
shalom gary;
i bought a water filter from a friend of mine, it can be used at home as well as
on the road, where i am all the time. the filter needs to be changed every year.
you will notice that the flow of water will start slowing down . time to get another one. //make sure you put it in the sink before you pull out, or you will find it hanging by the water line.need to give my friend some advertizing here.
[email protected] //// or http://www.newmarketnaturals.com
be safe; neal
Gary Smith, Jr.
Bob it depends on the type of filter and the medium it uses to filter things out. That and were you get the water it has to filter.
Some types of filters only filter for taste or sediment and don’t take out contaminants. That and if you are only using water that is already good, then the filters will last longer.
You could try draining the system and pulling the filter every time you come home. That and you might just want to get a small filter for the drinking water that is a reverse osmosis type or a Micro pore filter. If that is the kind you have for the whole unit I think I would feel save if I followed the manufacturers directions.
To be honest after doing the research for this article I am almost afraid to take a drink… I tend to think of the old W. C. Fields joke “I don’t drink water, Fish **** in it” but honestly what I have learned scares me. I am going to be a lot more careful.
Thanks Gary Smith, Jr.
Bob
I have a motor home with a whole house filter. I am a bit paranoid about standing water. I change the filter at the begining of the season for our first trip, but then we come home and the filter sits in water until the next time we use it. I find myself changing the filter prior to every trip—- expensive. I have now bypassed the filter and buy water to drink. How safe is it to use a filter for a season, with periods of non use and be sure it is safe?