Bacterial contamination of Japanese households and related concern about sanitation

Abstract

The bacterial contamination of Japanese homes and the attitudes of Japanese people toward sanitation were studied. By taking bacterial counts of approximately 90 places each in five homes, this study found kitchens to have the greatest degree of bacterial contamination, followed by bathing rooms. Toilets had less bacterial contamination than was expected. While concern about bacteria on highly contaminated items such as sponges, towels for wiping counters, and other reservoirs/disseminators was common, there was a relative lack of concern regarding contact surfaces such as dining tables. It is believed that an in-depth study of bacterial contamination in the home and concern about it would lead to the promotion of greater public understanding of home sanitation and help to facilitate the provision of useful information and products to the public.

The incidence of significant foodborne pathogens in domestic refrigerators

“…This is higher than some previous reported detections, e.g. 5% (Scott et al, 1982), but lower than the 20% reported by Ojima et al (2002), or the 27.4% reported by Spiers et al (1995). Considering such detection frequencies, it is good that the intoxication caused by this pathogen is usually relatively mild and rapidly self-limiting, to the extent that the majority of cases of staphylococcal food intoxication go unreported.…”

Pseudomonas aeruginosa in CF and non-CF homes is found predominantly in drains

“…Ojima et al [16] Regnath et al [17] and Schelstraete et al [18] focused on the interior (primarily bathrooms/washrooms and kitchens) of CF patient homes. In an earlier study, we examined a large number of outdoor and indoor sites, but only in homes without CF patients [19].…”

Pathogenic Bacteria Carried by Companion Animals and Their Susceptibility to Antibacterial Agents

“…Although fecal contamination in playground sandpits by dogs and cats (Fujisawa et al, 1995) and distributions of microorganisms in households (Ojima et al, 2002a;Ojima et al, 2002b) has been dissussed, the matters above were not described in those reports.…”