Abstract
.Domestic animals have been associated with enteric infections in young children and can also be carriers of respiratory viruses. We conducted a cross-sectional assessment of health outcomes in children aged < 5 years associated with animal presence among 793 rural households in Uganda. We recorded the 2-week prevalence of diarrhea and respiratory infections in children, and the number of cows, poultry, sheep/goats, and pigs in the household. We used generalized linear models with robust standard errors to estimate the prevalence ratio (PR) for diarrhea and respiratory infections associated with households owning the above- versus below-median number of animals. We conducted unadjusted and adjusted analyses controlling for socioeconomic, water, sanitation, and hygiene indicators. Children in households with the above-median number (> 5) of poultry had 83% higher diarrhea prevalence than those with ≤ 5 poultry (adjusted PR = 1.83 [1.04, 3.23], P = 0.04). Children in households with the above-median number (> 2) of cows had 48% lower prevalence of respiratory infection than those with ≤ 2 cows (adjusted PR = 0.52 [0.35, 0.76], P < 0.005). There were no other significant associations between domestic animals and child health. Studies should assess if barring chickens from indoor living quarters and sanitary disposal of chicken and other animal feces can reduce childhood zoonotic infections.
Highlights
Fecal contamination from animal sources is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for enteric infections among young children in low-income countries, where domestic animals are often kept in close proximity to living quarters.[1]
To further assess potential confounding by socioeconomic status, we investigated the relationship between animal ownership and socioeconomic status by comparing the number of animals owned across PPI quartiles with oneway analysis of variance (ANOVA)
A molecular analysis of child and chicken feces in Ecuador detected Campylobacter spp. in 76% of chicken feces, and Campylobacter jejuni genotypes associated with chickens were more frequently isolated from children’s feces than genotypes associated with other domestic animals, implicating chickens as the primary agent of zoonotic Campylobacter transmission.[30]
Summary
Fecal contamination from animal sources is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for enteric infections among young children in low-income countries, where domestic animals are often kept in close proximity to living quarters.[1]. Poultry and cattle are carriers of Campylobacter and Salmonella, but cattle carry Escherichia coli O157: H7 and Cryptosporidium.[10,11,12] A systematic review and meta-analysis found more clear relationships between animal exposure and enteric infections when a causal pathogen was identified and specific animal–pathogen pairs were investigated; the strongest relationship was between Campylobacter and poultry, with an almost 3-fold increase in the
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