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. 2011 Feb;52(2):144-9.
doi: 10.1111/j.1472-765X.2010.02978.x. Epub 2010 Dec 30.

Microbial contamination in kitchens and bathrooms of rural Cambodian village households

R G Sinclair  1 , C P Gerba
Affiliations

Microbial contamination in kitchens and bathrooms of rural Cambodian village households

R G Sinclair et al. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

Aims: To quantify microbial contamination on kitchen and bathroom surfaces (fomites) in rural Cambodian homes and to compare these concentrations to similar data from the United States and Japan.

Methods and results: This study monitored the numbers of faecal coliforms (i.e. thermotolerant coliforms), total coliforms, Escherichia coli and heterotrophic plate count bacteria on household surfaces in a rural village of Cambodia. Faecal coliform levels in Cambodia were highest on moist locations such as the plastic ladle used for sink water, the toilet seat surface and the cutting board surface with 100-fold higher levels of faecal coliform bacteria than E. coli and 100-fold higher levels of faecal coliforms than the US and Japanese studies.

Conclusions: A single public health intervention barrier, such as an improved latrine, is only partially effective for household sanitation. For complete sanitation, multiple environmental barriers may be necessary. These barriers occur in a house constructed with easily washable surfaces, a chlorinated water distribution system, house climate control and cleaning product availability.

Significance and impact of the study: Results of this study can be used to emphasize the importance of increasing household environmental sanitation barriers.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pour‐flush latrine in Beung village of Kompong Thom province, Cambodia. The pictured latrine features a tiled cement slab with a ceramic bowl, a cement water basin and a plastic ladle for anal cleansing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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