Microbes, Transmission Routes and Survival Outside the Body

Microbes like bacteria, virus, parasites and fungi may naturally colonize skin and mucous membranes without any sign of illness, for a longer or shorter period, in all humans, animals, fish, parasites, plants and all other living beings. Some types may be more invasive in human tissue than others. Many microbes are free-living in the environment—in water, soil and air and on equipment—as a part of the normal microbial flora on the Earth. Most of them are not dangerous and live in peaceful symbiosis with other living beings and may also be transferred between living species, from man to animal or man to plants and environment—and vice versa. New and old human pathogenic microbes are increasing all over the world. Some agents, like drug-resistant bacteria and highly pathogenic viruses, are more dangerous than others, and some microbes may cause chronic devastating diseases. Transmission routes depend on the robustness of the microbe in the environment, virulence, infectious dose, anatomical site in the body, etc. Pathogenic microbes are spread by contact, air, water, food, beverages, contaminated equipment and environment and are more seldom vector-borne, by insects or animals. The following chapter is focused on the most frequent pathogenic microbes, their preselected localization in the body, transmission routes and survival in the environment.