Do domestic animals contribute to bacterial contamination of infant transmission pathways? Formative evidence from Ethiopia

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dc.contributor.authorBudge, Sophie
dc.contributor.authorHutchings, Paul
dc.contributor.authorParker, Alison
dc.contributor.authorTyrrel, Sean
dc.contributor.authorTulu, Tizita
dc.contributor.authorGizaw, Mesfin
dc.contributor.authorGarbutt, Camila
dc.date.accessioned2019-11-01T11:16:35Z
dc.date.available2019-11-01T11:16:35Z
dc.date.issued2019-08-26
dc.description.abstractChild stunting is associated with poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), partly due to the effect of infection on intestinal nutrient absorption. WASH interventions however show little effect on growth. A hypothesis is that bacterial contamination of hands and floors from domestic animals and their faeces, and subsequent ingestion via infant hand-to-mouth behaviours, may explain this. This formative study used microbial testing and survey and observational data from twenty households in Ethiopia to characterise principle bacterial transmission pathways to infants, considering WASH facilities and practices, infant behaviours and animal exposure. Microbial swabbing showed contamination of hands and floor surfaces from thermotolerant coliform (TTC) bacteria. Animal husbandry practices, such as keeping animals inside, contributed significantly (all p<0.005). There was no evidence that latrine facilities mitigated contamination across infant (p=0.76) or maternal (p=0.86) hands or floor surfaces (p=0.36). This small study contributes to the evidence that animal faeces are an important source of domestic bacterial contamination. The results imply that interventions aiming to reduce pathogen transmission to infants should think beyond improving WASH and also consider the need to separate infants and animals in the home. Intervention studies will be required to determine whether this reduces infant infection and improves linear growth.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationBudge S, Hutchings P, Parker A, et al., (2019) Do domestic animals contribute to bacterial contamination of infant transmission pathways? Formative evidence from Ethiopia. Journal of Water and Health, Volume 17, Issue 5, 2019, pp. 655-669en_UK
dc.identifier.issn1477-8920
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2019.224
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/14666
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherIWA Publishingen_UK
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.subjectAnimal husbandryen_UK
dc.subjectcontaminationen_UK
dc.subjectmalnutritionen_UK
dc.subjectsanitationen_UK
dc.subjectWASHen_UK
dc.titleDo domestic animals contribute to bacterial contamination of infant transmission pathways? Formative evidence from Ethiopiaen_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

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