Guidelines for Canadian recreational water quality: Microbiological pathogens and biological hazards: Pathogenic microorganisms

Numerous pathogenic microorganisms can potentially be found in recreational environments. The three main types are bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Many occur as a result of contamination from human or animal wastes, whereas some are free-living microorganisms that exist naturally in the recreational water environment. A fourth type that may be of concern at some beaches, particularly associated with beach sand, are fungi.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field	Value
Last Updated	April 17, 2026, 21:45 (UTC)
Created	April 17, 2026, 21:45 (UTC)
criticality_level	[]
geographic_scope	[]
open_canada_collection	publication
open_canada_date_published	2022-08-30 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords	{"fr": ["lignes directrices", "eaux récréatives", "qualité des eaux récréatives", "santé et sécurité publiques", "sécurité des eaux récréatives", "gestion des eaux récréatives", "micro-organismes pathogènes", "risques biologiques", "bactéries", "virus", "protozoaires", "champignons"], "en": ["guidelines", "recreational water", "recreational water-quality", "public health-and-safety", "safety of recreational-waters", "management of recreational-waters", "pathogenic microorganisms", "biological hazards", "bacteria", "viruses", "protozoa", "fungi"]}
open_canada_subject	["health_and_safety"]
sensitivity_level	unrestricted
title_fr	Recommandations au sujet de la qualité des eaux utilisées à des fins récréatives au Canada : Agents pathogènes microbiologiques et dangers biologiques : Microorganismes pathogènes
update_frequency	as_needed