Enteric Pathogens in Humans, Domesticated Animals, and Drinking Water in a Low-Income Urban Area of Nairobi, Kenya

To explore the sources of and associated risks with drinking water contamination in low-income, densely populated urban areas, we collected human feces, domesticated animal feces, and source and stored drinking water samples in Nairobi, Kenya in 2019; and analyzed them using microbial source tracking (MST) and enteric pathogen TaqMan Array Cards (TACs). We established host-pathogen relationships in this setting, including detecting <i>Shigella</i> and Norovirus─which are typically associated with humans─in dog feces. We evaluated stored and source drinking water quality using indicator <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>), MST markers, and TACs, detecting pathogen targets in drinking water that were also detected in specific animal feces. This work highlights the need for further evaluation of host-pathogen relationships and the directionality of pathogen transmission to prevent the disease burden associated with unsafe drinking water and domestic animal ownership.