Human, Animal, and Plant Infectious Microbes in Water: Risk Assessment, Monitoring, and Control

Dear Colleagues,

Pathogenic microbes can lead to serious infectious diseases that threaten the lives and survivability of their hosts.  Many microbial infectious diseases transmit to and within their hosts, especially humans, animals, and plants through waters as effective transmission media since these hosts need water to maintain their lives. Microbial infectious diseases use various water-associated modes of transmission such as direct transmission, vector-borne, zoonotic, and environmentally mediated. Water-associated human infectious pathogens have huge burdens on public health and world economies. These burdens severely hamper development, particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries that have limited access to clean and microbially-safe water resources and adequate sanitation. In addition, water-associated microbial diseases cause similar impacts on the health of wild and food animal livestock and aquatic life. These impacts can affect the environmental ecosystems and/or food security. Certain water-associated microbes are pathogenic to plants. Surface water supplies such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs are considered the main source for plant irrigation. These types of water supplies  can harbor various plant disease-causing microbial etiologies. Every major group of plant pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and nematode having almost been found in each of these sources.  However, the underlying factors affecting the global distribution of these water-associated infectious diseases are still not completely understood. Also, the possible social, economic, and environmental impacts of the global distribution of water-associated microbial diseases that are infectious to humans, animals, and plants are largely unknown. Therefore, authors are encouraged to submit their work (full papers, short communications, and narrative or systematic reviews) that address the general scope of this special issue which include the following topics in relation to humans, animals, aquatics life and plants as hosts to water-associated microbial infectious diseases, particularly viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Work on other pathogens is also encouraged to be submitted.

1. 1. Emerging and re-emerging water-associated microbial infectious diseases
   2. Risk assessment and burdens of water-associated microbial infectious diseases
   3. Surveillance and epidemiology of water-associated microbial infectious diseases
   4. Monitoring etiological agents of water-associated infectious diseases using novel molecular techniques such as next generation sequencing and rapid nano-biosensors
   5. Novel approaches for recovery and detection of water-associated pathogens
   6. Impact of climate change on water-associated infectious diseases
   7. Global strategies for preventing and controlling water-associated infectious diseases

Dr. Hamada A. Aboubakr
Prof. Dr. Reda Abou-Shanab
Dr. Oadi Matny
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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