Prevalence of enteric bacteria on food preparation surfaces in childcare centres of Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract:

Leading experts in pediatric infectious disease have increasingly emphasized that food preparation surfaces in childcare centres represent an underappreciated reservoir for enteric bacterial pathogens capable of causing gastrointestinal illness in young children. This research assessed the prevalence of enteric bacteria on food preparation surfaces across fourteen childcare centres in Johannesburg, South Africa, from March to September 2023. A total of 420 surface swab samples were collected from five kitchen surface categories at weekly intervals over twelve weeks. The overall enteric bacteria prevalence was 68.3%, with sink basins demonstrating the highest contamination rate (85.6%) and utensil storage racks the lowest (38.2%). Escherichia coli was the predominant enteric isolate (32.4%), followed by Klebsiella species (24.1%), Salmonella species (12.8%), Enterobacter (18.5%), and Shigella (5.7%). Cutting boards and sink basins maintained consistently elevated enteric bacterial counts across all sampling weeks. These findings demonstrate widespread enteric contamination of childcare kitchen surfaces in Johannesburg and support the implementation of enhanced food preparation area hygiene protocols.