Editorial: Emerging pathogens and contaminants in the environment: human health risks, exposure pathways and epidemiological outcomes

After embarking on a Nigerian-based research project under the National Research Fund (NRF) of the TETFUND, Project Code TETF/DRAdegoke et al., 2020). These stressors are disseminated through interconnected aquatic and terrestrial systems via runoff, leaching, and infrastructure failures, facilitating widespread distribution. Human exposure occurs through ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation, with health outcomes shaped by exposure intensity, duration, and concentration (Adegoke et al., 2017;Faleye et al., 2017).Alongside beneficial microbiota, environmental systems harbour opportunistic and pathogenic species, whose proliferation is often linked to increased human-animal interactions and habitat encroachment. These dynamics foster the cross-species transmission of emerging and reemerging pathogens, posing significant public health threats (Adegoke et al., 2020). Concurrently, industrial, agricultural, and urban waste streams introduce trace-level chemical contaminants, including carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, which can drive ecological disruption and select for resistant microbes. Effective mitigation requires robust identification of pollutants and pathogens, comprehensive exposure assessment, and a clear understanding of their epidemiological impacts to inform sustainable environmental and public health strategies.In many regions, well-known pathogens continue to exert a significant toll through persistent environmental contamination. Research from Northwest Ethiopia, for example, reveals a 39.5% prevalence of intestinal helminths like Ascaris lumbricoides among schoolchildren (Wube et al., 2025). Key exposure pathways were linked to poor hygiene and consumption of contaminated food, with lower maternal education identified as a major risk factor. Similarly, water and soil serve as reservoirs for severe bacterial infections. Work on Burkholderia pseudomallei demonstrates that this soil-dwelling bacterium produces 2-alkylquinolone metabolites, which serve a dual function: enhancing its environmental fitness against competing microbes and acting as critical virulence factors during human melioidosis infection Changes in diarrheal disease aetiology further illustrate this dynamic environment. In a choleraendemic area of India, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) emerged as the dominant pathogen, responsible for 20.3% of cases (Khuntia et al., 2025). This shift underscores the persistent health risk from the faecal-oral route via contaminated food and water.The traditional paradigm of host-specific pathogens is being challenged. Serological evidence indicates that porcine norovirus GIL.11 can cross species barriers (Xu et al., 2025). Antibodies were detected not only in pigs but also in humans (15.2%) and various wildlife, with bats showing the highest seroprevalence (Xu et al., 2025). Similarly, the epidemiology of Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) is more complex than previously thought. Studies in Latin America document high infection rates not just among livestock workers but also in urban, incarcerated, and indigenous populations, suggesting significant environmental or airborne transmission (França, 2025). Public and professional awareness remains a cornerstone of effective outbreak response. Alimohammadi et al. (2025) reported significant knowledge deficits about mpox among Iranian university students and staff, with social media being a primary, and often unreliable, source of information. This reliance heightens the risk of misinformation undermining public health efforts.Beyond biological agents, environmental biochemical contaminants present insidious exposure risks. Investigations into occupational settings, such as a waste management study in Norway, have highlighted human exposure to mycotoxins (Martins et al., 2025). These fungal metabolites represent an important class of environmental contaminants requiring vigilant exposure assessment.