E. coli recovery from antimicrobial hand towels used in rural households in Kenya

An antimicrobial towel designed for repeated use was developed to prevent recontamination of washed hands after drying. This field trial in Kenya found that nearly all antimicrobial hand towels and untreated control towels were contaminated with E. coli after household use. The antimicrobial towel did not inactivate E. coli.