River Organisms in Transmitting Contagious Diseases
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Published
Nov 24, 2025
Abstract
Rivers are lifelines of civilization, yet they also carry hidden dangers that humanity often overlooks. Beneath their shimmering surfaces, countless microorganisms thrive—some beneficial, others deadly. As pollution, urbanization, and climate change intensify, rivers have become potent transmitters of contagious diseases, spreading bacteria, viruses, and parasites to human communities. The neglect of river health is no longer just an environmental concern but a public health emergency. Unsafe sanitation, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff feed outbreaks of cholera, hepatitis, typhoid, and parasitic infections across the globe. Protecting rivers means protecting ourselves; their ecosystems are deeply intertwined with human health. The world must treat rivers not as waste channels but as living systems vital for disease prevention. Our approach to public health must expand beyond hospitals and vaccines to include clean waterways, for the health of our rivers mirrors the health of humanity.
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Keywords
Rivers, Microorganisms, Disease Transmission, Public Health, Pollution
Supporting Agencies
No funding source declared.
References
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Feng, L., Wang, Y., Hou, X., Qin, B., Kutser, T., Qu, F., Chen, N., Paerl, H. W., & Zheng, C. (2024). Harmful algal blooms in inland waters [Review of Harmful algal blooms in inland waters]. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 5(9), 631. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00578-2
Ford, T., & Hamner, S. (2023). Progress toward alleviating preventable waterborne diseases over the past 30 years. Cambridge Prisms: Water, 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/wat.2023.17
Gordon, B., Boisson, S., Johnston, R. B., Trouba, D., & Cumming, O. (2023). Unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene: A persistent health burden. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 101(9), 551. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2471/blt.23.290668
Herrera, D., Ellis, A. M., Fisher, B., Golden, C. D., Johnson, K., Mulligan, M., Pfaff, A., Treuer, T., & Ricketts, T. H. (2017). Upstream watershed condition predicts rural children’s health across 35 developing countries. Nature Communications, 8(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00775-2
Kaiser, R., Taing, L., & Bhatia, H. (2022). Antimicrobial resistance and environmental health: A water stewardship framework for global and national action. Antibiotics, 11(1), 63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11010063
Karunakaran, E., Battarbee, R., Tait, S., Brentan, B., Berney, C., Grinham, J., Herrero, M. A., Omolo, R., & Douterelo, I. (2023). Integrating molecular microbial methods to improve faecal pollution management in rivers with designated bathing waters. Science of the Total Environment, 912, 168565. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168565
Kospa, H. S. D., & Rahmadi. (2019). Influence of community behaviour on water quality in Sekanak River, Palembang. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 306(1), 012008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/306/1/012008
Kuehne, L. M., Dickens, C., Tickner, D., Messager, M., Olden, J. D., O’Brien, G. C., Lehner, B., & Eriyagama, N. (2023). The future of global river health monitoring. PLOS Water, 2(9). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000101
Macpherson, E. (2021). The (human) rights of nature: A comparative study of emerging legal rights for rivers and lakes in the United States of America and Mexico. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/e5npr
Magallanes, C. I. (2018). From rights to responsibilities: Using legal personhood and guardianship for rivers. In Routledge eBooks (p. 216). Informa. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429467622-15
Meradji, S., Basher, N. S., Sassi, A., Ibrahim, N. A., Idres, T., & Touati, A. (2025). The role of water as a reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria [Review of The role of water as a reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria]. Antibiotics, 14(8), 763. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14080763
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Osman, M., Daaboul, D., Tajani, A. G., Omari, K. E., Bisha, B., Hassan, J., Cazer, C. L., Fiorella, K. J., Karah, N., Abbara, A., Hamzé, M., Cummings, K. J., Naas, T., & Kassem, I. I. (2023). Multidrug-resistant pathogens contaminate river water used in irrigation in disenfranchised communities. Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance, 36, 175. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgar.2023.12.016
Ringsmuth, A. K., Otto, I. M., van den Hurk, B., Lahn, G., Reyer, C., Carter, T. R., Magnuszewski, P., Monasterolo, I., Aerts, J., Benzie, M., Campiglio, E., Fronzek, S., Gaupp, F., Jarząbek, Ł., Klein, R. J. T., Knaepen, H., Mechler, R., Myšiak, J., Sillmann, J., … West, C. (2022). Lessons from COVID-19 for managing transboundary climate risks and building resilience. Climate Risk Management, 35, 100395. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100395
Roseng, L. E., Jothinarayanan, N., Tajedin, L., Pham, C. K., & Karlsen, F. (2024). Environmental monitoring of water and lakes on-site in real-time using eDNA. In Earth Sciences. Science Publishing Group. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1007780
Rossi, G. D., Hoque, M. M., Ji, Y., & Kling, C. L. (2023). The economics of nutrient pollution from agriculture. Annual Review of Resource Economics, 15(1), 105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-111820-021317
Seymour, J. R., & McLellan, S. L. (2025). Climate change will amplify the impacts of harmful microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems [Review of Climate change will amplify the impacts of harmful microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems]. Nature Microbiology, 10(3), 615. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-025-01948-2
Sojobi, A. O., & Zayed, T. (2021). Impact of sewer overflow on public health: A comprehensive scientometric analysis and systematic review [Review of Impact of sewer overflow on public health]. Environmental Research, 203, 111609. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111609
Wang, H., & He, G. (2022). Rivers: Linking nature, life, and civilization. River, 1(1), 25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/rvr2.7
Weyhenmeyer, G. A., Chukwuka, A. V., Anneville, O., Brookes, J. D., Carvalho, C. R., Cotner, J. B., Grossart, H., Hamilton, D. P., Hanson, P. C., Hejzlar, J., Hilt, S., Hipsey, M. R., Ibelings, B. W., Jacquet, S., Kangur, K., Kragh, T., Lehner, B., Lepori, F., Lukubye, B., … Zhou, Y. (2024). Global lake health in the Anthropocene: Societal implications and treatment strategies. Earth’s Future, 12(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023ef004387
Xie, Y., Liu, X., Wei, H., Chen, X., Gong, N., Ahmad, S., Lee, T., Ismail, S., & Ni, S. (2022). Insight into impact of sewage discharge on microbial dynamics and pathogenicity in river ecosystem. Scientific Reports, 12(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09579-x
Zalewski, M., Guo, J., & Breil, P. (2022). Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium of Healthy Rivers and Sustainable Water Resources Management: Ecohydrology for water security. HAL. Available at: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-03792186
Zhu, C., Wu, L., Ning, D., Tian, R., Gao, S.-H., Zhang, B., Zhao, J., Zhang, Y., Xiao, N., Wang, Y., Brown, M. R., Tu, Q., Ju, F., Wells, G., Guo, J., He, Z., Nielsen, P. H., Wang, A., Zhang, Y., … Zhou, J. (2025). Global diversity and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in human wastewater treatment systems. Nature Communications, 16(1), 4006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59019-3
How to Cite
Gauthier, Élodie. (2025). River Organisms in Transmitting Contagious Diseases. Science Insights, 47(5), 2031–2035. https://doi.org/10.15354/si.25.op344
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