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. 2018 Apr 17;36(4):1238–1254. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.04.003

Table 3.

Selected pathogens found in livestock wastes and wastewater.

Pathogen Waste and wastewater type present Disease/symptoms Notes
Bacteria
Campylobacter spp. Poultry, cattle Gastro-enteritis, fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting Sensitive to heat and anaerobic digestion. Not regarded as high risk. Has a low infective dose (100–800 cells can cause disease). It does not survive at a pH within the range of 1–4 or at temperatures >47 °C
Clostridium sp. Poultry, swine, cattle Tetanus, botulism, blackleg (clostridial myositis)/respiratory and muscular paralysis, muscle spasms Spores remain viable in the soil for years and are claimed to be a source of infection. Very resistant.
Escherichia coli Cattle, swine poultry (less) Bloody diarrhea, vomiting, hemorrhagic colitis, haemolytic uremic syndrome Facultative anaerobic. A strain of major concern is E. coli O157:H7. Grows on adverse conditions and can survive at low pH and temperatures. Can survive for long periods in soil and water. E. coli does not grow pH <3.6 or in high saline conditions. Infective dose about 10 cells.
Listeria monocytogenes Cattle, poultry Listeriosis/meningitis, meningoencephalitis, brain abscess, cerebritis Facultative anaerobic. Grows under adverse conditions and is resistant to heat and freezing.
Salmonella sp. Poultry, swine, cattle Salmonellosis/food borne enteritis, diarrhea, fever, vomiting Facultative anaerobic. Grows at pH of 4–8, and between 8 and 45 °C. Can survive for long periods in soil and water.
Yersinia enterocolitica Swine Yersiniosis/Acute enteritis, lymphadenitis, nosodum ethema, septicemia, poliartitis and maybe death Non-sporulated, non-capsulated; infrequent. Grows at pH 4–10 and at 4–43 °C.



Viruses
Porcine circovirus Swine Porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome, porcine respiratory disease complex, postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome It is heat (70 °C) and chemical resistant. Can survive for long periods. Anaerobic digestion reduces infectivity.
Coronavirus Many animals Sensitive to stresses. Does not survive for long periods.
Rotavirus Many animals Acute viral gastroenteritis/diarrhea Potential zoonotic. Resistant to detergent and many antiseptics. Anaerobic digestion and UV reduces infectivity.
Hepatitis E virus Swine, sheep, poultry Liver disease/anorexia, nausea and vomiting, hepatomegaly Zoonotic. Persistence characteristics are not known.
Influenza Many animals Flu Zoonotic. Sensitive to heat, irradiation, detergents and oxidizing agents.



Parasites
Ascaris suum Many animals Ascariasis Parasitic nematode, zoonotic; eggs survive under anaerobic stabilization (>80% viability after 20 days).
Giardia sp. Many animals Giardiasis/diarrhea, cramps, flatulence. Flagellate protozoan parasite, zoonotic. Very low infection dose. Cysts survive for long periods. In water oocysts survive <14 days at 25 °C.
Cryptosporidium parvum Many animals Cryptosporidiosis/diarrhea, dehydration, nausea, vomiting Very low infection dose (132 oocysts)
Oocysts are resistant to disinfectants
Relative sensitive to heat.
Prions Nervous system disease such as Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease Resistant to high temperature, in general difficult to be disinfected.