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