Waterborne gastroenteritis and viral hepatitis

The occurrence of waterborne transmission of infectious hepatitis has long been recognized, but only in recent years have methods become available for its assay and propagation in the laboratory. The advent of these techniques have led to the development of methods for the detection of the agent of infectious hepatitis in water. Rotaviruses, Norwalk agent, and related viruses are now recognized as major causes of waterborne nonbacterial gastroenteritis. Rotaviruses have been shown to occur in significant concentrations in domestic wastewater and have been detected in conventionally treated drinking water. Methods are still lacking for the detection of Norwalk agent(s) in water, but they continue to be the major cause of waterborne viral gastroenteritis.