Children’s sandpits are ‘swarming’ with a superbug bacteria

A Spanish scientist has tested a number of children's sandpits and found them to be 'swarming' with the superbug Clostridium difficile.

Professor Jose Blanco and a team from the University of Madrid took soil samples from 20 Spanish parks, including children's sandpits and areas reserved for dogs. Analysis of the 40 samples revealed that the superbug bacterium Clostridium difficile (commonly known as C. diff.) is rife in children's sandboxes. Worryingly, the scientists also found genetically diverse and drug resistant strains of C. diff. The nasty bacterium can cause symptoms in humans and animals ranging from mild diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Professor Blanco says the samples were worrying:

"Our results revealed the presence of epidemic ribotypes of C. diff. in children's and dog's sandboxes located nearby, which constitutes a major health risk."

Almost half of the samples contained toxigenic strains of the superbug and all showed resistance to at least two antibiotics. The bacteria was identified in 52.5 percent of the overall samples, and in nine samples taken from children's sandpits. All showed resistance to two antibiotics (Imipenem and Levofloxacin) and some to a third, a fourth and even a fifth group of antibiotics. One of the main objectives of the investigation was to find out if there was any overlap between the canine and children's areas of public parks. The research, published in the journal Zoonoses and Public Health, showed an average distance of less than 90 metres between the dogs' and children's play sand. Professor Blanco recommends daily cleaning of the sands, "as is done on beaches," and also advises that both dog and human areas be fenced off in shared parks:

"It's not a question of not going to the park with the children or the dog, but we did want to draw attention to the need for greater vigilance of the environmental factor."