title: Fecal contamination of food, water, hands, and kitchen utensils at the household level in rural areas of Peru.
abstract: The study described in this article evaluated sources of contamination of children's food and drinking water in rural households in the highlands of Peru. Samples from children's meals, drinking water, kitchen utensils, and caregivers' and children's hands were analyzed for total coliforms and E. coli counts using Petrifilm EC. Thermotolerant coliforms in water were measured using DelAgua test kits while diarrheagenic E. coli was identified using polymerase chain reaction methods (PCR). Thermotolerant coliforms were found in 48% of all water samples. E. coli was found on 23% of hands, 16% of utensils, and 4% of meals. Kitchen cloths were the item most frequently contaminated with total coliforms (89%) and E. coli (42%). Diarrheagenic E. coli was found in 33% of drinking water, 27% of meals, and on 23% of kitchen utensils. These findings indicate a need to develop hygiene interventions that focus on specific kitchen utensils and hand washing practices, to reduce the contamination of food, water, and the kitchen environment in these rural settings.
authors.forename: Ana I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: Claudio F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lanata
authors.forename: Stella M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hartinger
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mäusezahl
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.forename: Theresa J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Ochoa
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lozada
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pineda
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Verastegui
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014871:Water Microbiology