"Non Stick' Organic Compounds Lead to Safe Water
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Academic
Scientists Are Testing the 'Stickiness' of Hundreds of Organic Compounds to Improve the Detection of the Microscopic Water Bugs that Cause Millions of Cases of Womiting and Diarrhoea Each Year
Two pathogens, Cryptosporidium and Giardia, are the focus of the research. The microscopic pathogens tend to enter water supplies from animal droppings and quickly cause outbreaks of illness that are characterised by diarrhoea andgastrointestinal illness.
Dr Helen Bridle from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh is working in partnership with Dr Moushumi Ghosh from Thapar University, Punjab, to develop a new, 'green' compound that could be used to improve detection rates of such pathogens and improvewater filtrationin developing and developed countries.
In developing countries persistent diarrhoea caused by bugs such as these accounts for 30-50% of mortality of children under five. It is estimated that 250-300 million cases of cryptosporidiosis occur each year. In England, it's estimated that around 60,000 cases go undiagnosed each year.
Dr Helen Bridle said, "Pathogens like Cryptosporidium and Giardia can be infectious in very low doses, can live for months in water and are also resistant to chlorine. They enter water supplies from animal droppings and quickly cause outbreaks of diarrhoea and gastrointestinal illness.
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