Because water is essential to life, knowing what microbes can be in the water is helpful in accessing safe drinking water. Water quality should be as safe as possible to prevent the health problems and discomforts that are associated with disease. Wastewater discharges can contaminate sources of drinking water easily. What are some of the microbes that are found in your water? Here are a few that have been found in samples of some drinking water and the diseases that they can cause:

Cholera
Vibrio cholerae is the microbe that causes this disease. Their growth is stimulated from sodium chloride.

Gastroenteritis
Can be caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Salmonellosis
Salmonella enterica can live in the intestinal tract of humans. Municipal sewage, agriculture pollution, and storm water runoff cause the growth of these pathogens in natural water. If the pH and temperature and humidity of the soil are reeight, they can survive for weeks.

Acute diarrheas and gastroenteritis
E.coli is the culprit in this case. As a member of the fecal coliform group of bacteria, water that contains this pathogen can make people sick. It lives in the intestinal tract of healthy people, but high numbers of this bacteria can cause sickness. The presence of E.coli in the water signifies that it has been contaminated, although it is very rare. Most cases of E.coli have come from contaminated food.

Shigella
It typically is found in the intestinal tract of humans and is spread through contaminated fecal-containing drinking water. Symptoms of Shigella include fever, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. They usually start a day or two after exposure to the bacteria. In many cases, Shigellosis resolves in 5 to 7 days. Antibiotics are sometimes used to treat an infection.

The Safe Water Drinking Act has defined a contaminant as physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter in water. Presence of a contaminant does not make the water unsafe. Small amounts of contaminants, such as bacteria, viruses, protozoan, and parasites may not be unhealthy.

It is wise that you find out more about the water quality in your area by visiting local sites that talk about the quality of your drinking water. Water testing is the most complete way to know what is in drinking water; water is usually tested for coliform bacteria. Its presence indicates that there may be other pathogens in the water supply.