Sources et devenir des micro-organismes pathogènes dans les environnements aquatiques

A large number of human waterborne infections are caused by microorganisms including viruses, bacteria or protozoa. These microorganisms are either naturally presents in aquatic environments, or come from fecal sources. They may stay in aquatic ecosystems for a long time before contaminating a new host. Aquatic environments are subjected to high variability of physico- chemical parameters. They include a microbial community that is more or less adapted to these environmental changes. Thus, numerous interactions occur between microorganisms, which are pathogenic or not, and most of them are still unknown. This review focused on interactions between pathogen microorganisms and their environment. More specifically we addressed the question of the diversity of the sources of contamination, their contribution to the microbiological pollution of the aquatic environment, and the ability of some pathogens to survive adverse environmental conditions.