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Although consumption of quality drinking water should be available to anyone, without any risk, in reality, for the people living in poor countries, safe water sources are often not an option. In order to eliminate the risk of disease, people prefer to use bottled water, or even bottle beverages, considering them uncontaminated, sterile products. However, the evidence showed that some microbial species belonging to autochthonous water microbiota or even pathogenic species may contaminate and could, in certain conditions, multiply beyond measure in the bottled products. Sometimes, although the bottled water or beverages meet the quality requirements, still, they could be responsible by some water- or food-borne diseases. This chapter presents the main microbial contaminants of these products and the associated risk for waterborne/food-borne diseases.

Cryptosporidium is an enteric protozoan parasite that causes gastrointestinal disorders in humans and in a wide range of animals, mainly in calves. As there is no available efficient treatment for cryptosporidiosis, in this study we evaluated the effect of Auranta 3001, a natural feed additive on animal growth, number of days with liquid diarrhoea and oocyst excretion, mean oocysts/gram faeces and on biochemical and physical parameters. The study showed that calves fed with Auranta 3001 as a feed additive administered prior to infection with C. parvum, significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the number of days with liquid diarrhoea, the number of days with oocyst excretion, the number of days of antibiotic administration and mean oocysts/gram faeces. Moreover, the prophylactic administration of Auranta 3001, significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the percentage of calves with fever and increased the body weight at day 56. However, significant differences were not seen between IgG, total protein intake and haematocrit percentage. This study showed the efficacy of Auranta 3001 in reducing cryptosporidiosis manifestations in calves.

1. protection against intracellular bacteria is mediated by T cells, which are interacting, not directly with the pathogen, but with the infected cell surface; antibodies exhibit a minor effect on the immune protection against intracellular infections; 2. infections by intracellular bacteria is accompanied by delayed hypersensitivity reactions that occur after the local administration of soluble antigens, mediated by T cells, whose effectors are macrophages; 3. tissular reactions to antiintracellular bacteria are granulomatous in nature, both the protective responses and pathology being caused by them. Breaking granuloma favors pathogen dissemination and extension of lesions; 4. intracellular bacteria are expressing little or no toxic effects to the host cell, and pathology results from the activation of the immune response, mediated primarily by T lymphocytes. In contrast, extracellular bacteria secrete extracellular toxins, some of them being extremely potent and producing direct tissue damage; 5. intracellular bacteria are well adapted for coexisting with the host cell for long periods, by maintaining a balance between the persistent infection and the protective immunity mechanisms, resulting in a long incubation period and the development of a chronic infectious process. The infection per se is distinct from the pathological process. In contrast, extracellular bacteria cause acute infections, which are triggered soon after infection and ending after the immune response reaches an optimal intensity.