title: Emerging and potentially emerging viruses in water environments.
abstract: Among microorganisms, viruses are best fit to become emerging pathogens  since they are able to adapt not only by mutation but also through recombination and  reassortment and can thus become able to infect new hosts and to adjust to new  environments. Enteric viruses are among the commonest and most hazardous waterborne  pathogens, causing both sporadic and outbreak-related illness. The main health effect  associated with enteric viruses is gastrointestinal illness, but they can also cause  respiratory symptoms, conjunctivitis, hepatitis, central nervous system infections,  and chronic diseases. Non-enteric viruses, such as respiratory and epitheliotrophic  viruses are not considered waterborne, as they are not readily transmitted to water  sources from infected individuals. The present review will focus on viral pathogens shown to be transmitted through water. It will also provide an overview of viruses  that had not been a concern for waterborne transmission in the past, but that may  represent potentially emerging waterborne pathogens due to their occurrence and  persistence in water environments.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ambiente e Connessa Prevenzione Primaria, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. giuseppina.larosa@iss.it
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: La Rosa
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fratini
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: della Libera
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iaconelli
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muscillo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D014780:Viruses; D014871:Water Microbiology