We collected infant food samples from 714 households in Kisumu, Kenya, and estimated the prevalence and concentration of Enterococcus, an indicator of food hygiene conditions. In a subset of 212 households, we quantified the change in concentration in stored food between a morning and afternoon feeding time. In addition, household socioeconomic characteristics and hygiene practices of the caregivers were documented. The prevalence of Enterococcus in infant foods was 50% (95% confidence interval: 46.1 - 53.4), and the mean log10 colony-forming units (CFUs) was 1.1 (SD + 1.4). No risk factors were significantly associated with the prevalence and concentration of Enterococcus in infant foods. The mean log10 CFU of Enterococcus concentration was 0.47 in the morning and 0.73 in the afternoon foods with a 0.64 log10 mean increase in matched samples during storage. Although no factors were statistically associated with the prevalence and the concentration of Enterococcus in infant foods, household flooring type was significantly associated with an increase in concentration during storage, with finished floors leading to 1.5 times higher odds of concentration increase compared to unfinished floors. Our study revealed high prevalence but low concentration of Enterococcus in infant food in low-income Kisumu households, although concentrations increased during storage implying potential increases in risk of exposure to foodborne pathogens over a day. Further studies aiming at investigating contamination of infant foods with pathogenic organisms and identifying effective mitigation measures are required to ensure infant food safety.

我们从肯尼亚基苏木的 714 个家庭收集了婴儿食品样本，并估计了肠球菌的流行率和浓度，这是食品卫生状况的一个指标。在 212 个家庭的子集中，我们量化了早上和下午喂食时间之间储存食物浓度的变化。此外，还记录了护理人员的家庭社会经济特征和卫生习惯。婴儿食品中肠球菌的患病率为 50%（95% 置信区间：46.1 - 53.4），平均 log 10菌落形成单位 (CFU) 为 1.1 (SD + 1.4)。没有危险因素与婴儿食品中肠球菌的流行和浓度显着相关。早上食物中肠球菌浓度的平均 log 10 CFU为 0.47，下午食物中为 0.73，储存期间匹配样品的平均 log 10 CFU 增加了 0.64 log 10 CFU。尽管没有任何因素与婴儿食品中肠球菌的流行率和浓度存在统计相关性，但家用地板类型与储存期间肠球菌浓度的增加显着相关，与未完工地板相比，成品地板导致浓度增加的几率高出 1.5 倍。我们的研究显示，低收入基苏木家庭的婴儿食品中肠球菌的患病率很高，但浓度较低，尽管在储存过程中浓度有所增加，这意味着一天内接触食源性病原体的风险可能会增加。需要进一步研究调查婴儿食品受病原生物的污染并确定有效的缓解措施，以确保婴儿食品安全。