Pathogens in Nairobi water and feces
Dog feces carried the most enteric pathogens among hosts sampled in a Nairobi informal area.
Source
Enteric Pathogens in Humans, Domesticated Animals, and Drinking Water in a Low-Income Urban Area of Nairobi, Kenya
What they did
Used TaqMan Array Cards and microbial source tracking on feces and drinking water from Dagoretti South, Nairobi, in 2019.
What they found
Dogs had a mean 15.5 pathogen targets per sample; MST markers leaked across hosts (HF183 70% sensitive); canine feces are an under-managed exposure route.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Does not prove that dog-feces interventions would reduce child diarrhea in this community.
Key terms
- Enteric pathogen
- Microbe that infects the gut, often via feces or water.
- MST
- Microbial source tracking of fecal contamination.
- HF183
- Marker often used for human fecal Bacteroides.
- TaqMan Array Card
- Multiplex PCR card for many pathogen genes at once.
- WASH
- Water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions.
- Zoonotic
- Pathogen that can jump from animals to people.
Flashcards
Research intelligence for this paper
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Quiz yourself
Highest mean pathogen count was in:
Common questions
Where?
Dagoretti South, Nairobi, Kenya.
Top pathogen host?
Dogs (mean 15.5 targets).
HF183 sensitivity?
70.0%.
Avian GFD sensitivity?
82.5%.
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