Water as the vehicle of hepatitis a virus infection: The role of recreational and drinking water

Viruses have long been known to be important etiological agents of waterborne disease. Common pathogenic viruses include hepatitis A virus (HAV), among other viruses. HAV is a nonenveloped picornavirus with a 7478 nt RNA genome that is responsible for hepatitis A. Infected children are frequently asymptomatic, while infected adults present symptoms, such as jaundice. Infection is typically self limiting and chronic infection is not observed, but other symptoms which may be severe can be present. Water plays an important role as a vehicle of HAV transmission, by contact, drinking or post water treatment contamination. In this book the HAV transmission involving water is reviewed, namely drinking water of poor quality, contact with contaminated recreational water, poor quality water used in food preparation, as well as its role in nosocomial infections.