Geography of diseases caused by biological agents from water – AP Vojvodina

Abstract

The aim of this article is to investigate the health effects of biological agents originating from the waters of the AP Vojvodina (northern Serbia). Microbiological defects in untreated drinking water were analysed for coliform microorganisms, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus (genus Streptococcus), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, aerobic mesophilic and thermotolerant microorganisms of faecal origin, and the possible effects on public health are discussed. Characteristic diseases caused by biological pathogens (acute bacillary dysentery, giardiasis, infectious jaundice, leptospirosis, tularemia, amoebic dysentery) are also shown with an illustration of the changes in disease patterns and their tendencies. These analyses can influence the improvement of population and public health status, the adaptation of prevention programs in vulnerable areas, and the reduction of waterborne disease prevalence among the local population.