ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN HEALTH IMPACTS FROM EMERGING MICROBIAL PATHOGENS IN DRINKING WATER BY MOLECULAR AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES

Project Information

HEALTHY-WATER

Grant agreement ID: 36306

Project closed

Start date 1 October 2006

End date 31 March 2010

Funded under

• Food Quality and Safety: Thematic priority 5 under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006.

Total cost € 2 908 065,00

EU contribution € 2 400 000,00

Coordinated by

HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FÜR INFEKTIONSFORSCHUNG GMBH
Germany

Objective

The overall goal of the project is to advance our knowledge on pathogenesis of emergent microbial pathogens in drinking water to understand their transmission to humans. The project will focus on all major types of pathogens, i.e. viruses, bacteria and protozoa, and will concentrate on a representative set of European drinking water supply systems and source waters of specific sensitivity to human health. This project will build on the output of the MicroRisk project by focussing on water systems that are in general not as well protected as the systems within MicroRisk. To reach the overall goal the following detailed objectives are approached: 1. Validation and application of detection technologies for emerging microbial pathogens based on nucleic acids. 2. Molecular survey and comparative detailed study of emerging pathogens in European drinking water sources and supply systems. 3. Understanding the human health impact of emerging pathogens by primary epidemiological studies targeted at specific systems and pathogens. 4. Determination of epidemiological correlations with molecular and environmental data and assessment of risk for waterborne microbial infections in Europe. An integrated research approach will be pursued to achieve these objectives by combining molecular and classical detection, activity assessment and epidemiological understanding of emerging pathogens in a specific set of drinking water systems from different European regions. The project will generate validated detection technologies for the targeted waterborne pathogens and reveal possible routes of transmission to humans via drinking water consumption. This new knowledge will provide guidance to improve the hygienic quality of European drinking water supplies and reduce the burden of waterborne infections for the people in Europe.

Fields of science

• engineering and technology › environmental engineering › water treatment processes › drinking water treatment processes
• natural sciences › biological sciences › biochemistry › biomolecules › nucleic acids
• natural sciences › biological sciences › microbiology › bacteriology
• natural sciences › biological sciences › microbiology › virology
• natural sciences › biological sciences › microbiology › protozoology

Programme(s)

• FP6-FOOD - Food Quality and Safety: Thematic priority 5 under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006.

Topic(s)

• FOOD-2004-T5.4.8.3 - Assessing health benefits against potential effects of environmental contaminants in selected food groups

Call for proposal

FP6-2005-FOOD-4-B
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

STREP - Specific Targeted Research Project

Coordinator

HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FÜR INFEKTIONSFORSCHUNG GMBH

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Inhoffenstraße 7 ; BRAUNSCHWEIG ; Germany
• Total cost: No data

Participants (8)

UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

United Kingdom

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: University Plain ; NORWICH
• Total cost: No data

ÖSTERREICHISCHES KOMITEE DONAUFORSCHUNG INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR DANUBE RESEARCH SOCIETAS INTERNATIONALIS LIMNOLOGIAE (ÖK - IAD)

Austria

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Dampfschiffhaufen 54 ; WIEN
• Total cost: No data

UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI

Spain

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: C/ de l'Escorxador, s/n ; TARRAGONA
• Total cost: No data

UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA

Spain

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585 (Vicerectorat de Política Internacional, OPER) ; BARCELONA
• Total cost: No data

SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT

France

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: 1 rue d'Astorg ; PARIS
• Total cost: No data

FODOR JOZSEF NATIONAL CENTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Hungary

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Gyali ut 2-6 ; BUDAPEST
• Total cost: No data

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE

France

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: 250 rue Albert Einstein ; VALBONNE
• Total cost: No data

BIOMOLECULAR TECHNOLOGICS SL

Spain

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Polígono Industrial San Carlos, Ctra. N-340, Km 29,7 ; ORIHUELA (ALICANTE)
• Total cost: No data