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How can infectious agents enter the body through food and drinking water?
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infectious disease
Birds are the primary reservoirs of West Nile virus. The virus is transmitted to humans and horses by mosquitoes that have bitten infected birds.
Infectious agents enter the body through food and drinking water primarily when these items become contaminated with disease-causing microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.12
A common pathway for this contamination is the fecal-oral route, where water or food is exposed to feces containing pathogens. This can occur through:34
- Water Contamination: Drinking water supplies may be tainted by sewage or human excrement.31
- Food Preparation: Food can become contaminated if it is irrigated, washed, or cooked with unsafe water, or if it is packed in contaminated ice.3
- Cross-Contamination: Pathogens can be transferred to food via contaminated surfaces, utensils, or poor hand hygiene during preparation.15
- Mechanical Vectors: Insects like houseflies can pick up bacteria from waste and deposit them onto food.4
Once ingested, these agents can attack the wall of the intestinal tract, leading to local or systemic infectious disease. Maintaining public health through water disinfection, pasteurization, and rigorous food safety practices is essential to preventing these illnesses.2156