Microfungal contamination of municipal water supplies : a review

Very little work has been carried out on the mycology of municipal water supplies even though it is known that some fungal species are involved in the production of off-tastes and odours, and others produce allergens and mycotoxins. Until recently, attention has been directed mainly to pathogenic bacterial, viral and protistan contaminants, and the occurence of opportunistic microfungal pathogens in municipal water supplies has generally been ignored. The work that has been done is difficult to compare because of the lack of standard methodologies. However, the possibility that the source of invasive opportunistic fungal infections, such as aspergillosis, in immuno-compromised patients may be water-borne spores is gaining acceptance.