Poultry Ownership in Urban Kenya is Associated with Increased Fecal Contamination in Household Soil

Animal feces can contain zoonotic enteropathogens capable of causing human diarrheal disease. Limited knowledge exists on domestic animal management in low-income urban settlements. We leveraged survey data and environmental samples collected from 120 urban Kenyan households to understand poultry husbandry practices and assess if household poultry ownership was associated with Escherichia coli contamination in stored water and soil. Fifty-five percent (n = 66) of households were in poultry-owning compounds, and 59.1% (n = 39) of these households reported poultry entering the household quarters. Among these 39 households, 53.9% (n = 21) kept poultry in the sleeping quarters of under-5 children. Household poultry ownership (49.2%, n = 59) was associated with increased E. coli concentrations in soil but not with E. coli prevalence in stored water. Poultry husbandry in urban settings may promote zoonotic disease transmission, and household soil may be an important transmission pathway for poultry-associated fecal contamination.