title: Fecal contamination of drinking water within peri-urban households, Lima, Peru.
abstract: We assessed fecal contamination of drinking water in households in 2 peri-urban communities of Lima, Peru. We measured Escherichia coli counts in municipal source water and, within households, water from principal storage containers, stored boiled drinking water, and water in a serving cup. Source water was microbiologically clean, but 26 (28%) of 93 samples of water stored for cooking had fecal contamination. Twenty-seven (30%) of 91 stored boiled drinking water samples grew E. coli. Boiled water was more frequently contaminated when served in a drinking cup than when stored (P < 0.01). Post-source contamination increased successively through the steps of usage from source water to the point of consumption. Boiling failed to ensure safe drinking water at the point of consumption because of easily contaminated containers and poor domestic hygiene. Hygiene education, better point-of-use treatment and storage options, and in-house water connections are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Asociación Benéfica Proyectos en Informática, Salud, Medicina, y Agricultura (A.B. PRISMA), Lima, Peru. william.oswald@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Oswald
authors.forename: Andrés G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Lescano
authors.forename: Caryn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bern
authors.forename: Maritza M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Calderon
authors.forename: Lilia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Gilman
mesh_terms: D002713:Chlorine / Q000737:chemistry; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D010568:Peru; D012499:Sanitation / Q000379:methods; D014505:Urban Population; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002713:Chlorine