A Look at E. coli Contamination in Homemade Cheeses across Kabul's Districts

Sayeed Arif Ahmadi

doi:10.62810/jnsr.v4i3.432

Authors

Sayeed Arif Ahmadi Kabul University, Department of Food Technology and Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Kabul, Afghanistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62810/jnsr.v4i3.432

Keywords:

Raw milk, Dairy products, Escherichia coli, Food safety, Homemade cheese, prevalence, Public health

Abstract

Foodborne illness remains a major public health concern, and dairy products—especially homemade cheeses—are frequently linked to pathogen transmission. In Kabul, the safety of such locally produced items has received little research attention. This study offers the first initial look at E. coli contamination in the city's homemade cheese supply, using it as. a reliable marker of fecal pollution and poor hygienic handling. The work aimed to estimate how widespread the contamination is and whether it varies across different districts. To explore this, we used a cross-sectional design and collected 51 cheese samples from producers spread across seven districts. All samples underwent standard microbiological testing to isolate and confirm E. coli presence. Out of the 51 samples, 4 tested positive, giving an overall prevalence of 7.84%. Yet the numbers weren't uniform across the city. District 17 stood out clearly, with a much higher rate of 28.57%. This uneven pattern suggests that certain areas face greater hygiene challenges than others what these results make clear is that while sanitation issues exist in the local production system, the risk isn't spread evenly—it clusters in specific neighbourhoods. That's an important clue for public health planning. Rather than applying generic measures everywhere, it would be wiser to concentrate monitoring and awareness campaigns on high-burden districts like District 17. Such focused action would do more to cut down foodborne risks and make this cherished staple safer for Kabul's population.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Aitkaliyeva, A., Zhumagulova, A., Sarsembayeva, N., & Beketova, A. (2024). Contamination of Kazakhstan cheeses originating from different regions with Escherichia coli. Veterinary World, 17*(2), 361– 370. https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2024.361-370 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2024.361-370

Baron, E. J., Peterson, L. R., & Finegold, S. M. (1994). Bailey & Scott’s diagnostic microbiology (9th ed.). Mosby.

De Buyser, M. L., Dufour, B., Maire, M., & Lafarge, V. (2001). Implication of milk and milk products in food-borne diseases in France and in different industrialised countries. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 1–2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10 .1016/s0168-1605(01)00443-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1605(01)00443-3

DID Press. (2025, November 19). Over 97,000 deaths in Afghanistan linked to contaminated food, water: Ministry. https://en.didpress.com/20446/

Dohoo, I., Martin, W., & Stryhn, H. (2009). Veterinary epidemiologic research (2nd ed.). VER Inc.

Grace, D. (2015). Food safety in low- and middle-income countries. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, *12*(9), 10490–10507. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120910490 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120910490

Havelaar, A. H., Kirk, M. D., Torgerson, P. R., Gibb, H. J., Hald, T., Lake, R. J., Praet, N., Bellinger, D. C., de Silva, N. R., Gargouri, N., Speybroeck, N., Cawthorne, A., Mathers, C., Stein, C., Angulo, F. J., & Devleesschauwer, B. (2015). World Health Organization global estimates of foodborne diseases. PLOS Medicine, *12*(12), e1001923. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001923 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001923

Imre, K., Ban-Cucerzan, A., Herman, V., Sallam, K. I., Cristina, R. T., Abd-Elghany, S. M., & Morar, A. (2022). Occurrence, pathogenic potential and antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from raw milk cheese commercialized in Banat Region, Romania. Antibiotics, 11(6), 721. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11060721 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11060721

International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF). (2011). Microorganisms in foods 8: Use of data for assessing process control and product acceptance. Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9374-8

International Organization for Standardization. (2017). *Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the enumeration of beta-glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli — Part 1: Colony-count technique at 44 degrees C using membranes and 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-glucuronide* (ISO Standard No. 16649-1:2017).

Jay, J. M., Loessner, M. J., & Golden, D. A. (2005). Modern food microbiology (7th ed.). Springer.

Kaper, J. B., Nataro, J. P., & Mobley, H. L. T. (2004). Pathogenic Escherichia coli. Nature Reviews Microbiology, *2*(2), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro818 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro818

Khafaji, M. H., Hassan, A. A., Ibrahim, S. A., & Kareem, R. A. (2025). Antimicrobial resistant Staphylococcus spp., Escherichia coli, and Salmonella spp. among food handlers: A global review. Pathogens, 5), 496. https://doi.org/10.3390/ pathogens14050496 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14050496

Malabadi, R. B., Sadiya, M. R., Kolkar, K. P., & Chalannavar, R. K. (2024). Pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) food borne outbreak: Detection methods and controlling measures. Magna Scientia Advanced Research and Reviews, 10(01), 052-085. https://doi.org/10.30574/msarr.2024.10.1.0003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/msarr.2024.10.1.0003

Mladenović, K. G., Muruzović, M. Ž. Žugić Petrović, T., & Čomić, L. R. (2018). Escherichia coli identification and isolation from traditional cheese produced in Southeastern Serbia. Journal of Food Safety, 38(4), e12477. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.12477 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.12477

Salih, M. H., et al. (2025). Knowledge and awareness of food safety, foodborne illnesses, and microbial threats among consumers of street-vended foods in Kandahar City, Afghanistan. Health Science Reports, *8*(12), e71633. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.71633 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.71633

Thrusfield, M. (2018). Veterinary epidemiology (4th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

UeNLUe, T. E. O. M. A. N., Koluman, A., Burkan, Z. T., Tezel, A., Akcelik, E. N., Calim, H. D., & Ata, Z. (2011). Incidence and antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from different kinds of cheese. Journal of Food Safety, 31(1), 54-60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4565.2010.00266.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4565.2010.00266.x

UNICEF. (n.d.). Water, sanitation and hygiene. UNICEF Afghanistan. Retrieved May 14, 2025, from https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/water-sanitation-and-hygiene

Vrabec, M., Lovayová, V., Dudriková, K., Gallo, J., & Dudriková, E. (2015). Antibiotic resistance and prevalence of Enterococcus spp. and Escherichia coli isolated from bryndza cheese. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 14(4), Article 3968. https://doi.org/10.4081/ijas.2015.3968Al- DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ijas.2015.3968

World Health Organization. (2012). Guidelines on foodborne disease surveillance. https://doi.org/ 10.18697/ajfand.52.who-7

World Health Organization. (2025, April 15). E. coli. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/e-coli