Fecal Coliform Contamination in Child Day-Care Centers

Abstract

Enteropathogens associated with outbreaks of diarrhea in child day-care centers can be spread by the fecal-oral route through hands or environmental objects that are contaminated. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of fecal coliform contamination in day-care centers. During a 6-month period, on four separate occasions, cultures were taken from environmental surfaces and the hands of children and teachers at six licensed day-care centers. Fecal coliforms were recovered from 64 (9.5%) of the 675 surfaces sampled. Recovery rate was not influenced by the socioeconomic status of the clientele, time of year, or presence of children who were not toilet trained. All children wore paper diapers. Recovery rates did differ significantly for different areas: the kitchen showed a relatively high recovery rate (19%), and toys and toilets showed remarkably low rates (2% and 4%, respectively). Centers with formal hand-washing procedures had lower recovery rates than those without such practices. We also demonstrated a high recovery rate from hands of staff (16%); 6% of cultures taken from children's hands were positive. Contamination of hands and classroom objects is a potential source for transmitting enteric diseases among children in day-care centers.