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 Often called “C. diff” for short, the bug has typically been
considered a problem for very ill hospitalized patients, but it’s
increasingly being found outside hospitals, Dr. Jose Blanco of the
faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Universidad Complutense de Madrid
and colleagues write in the journal Zoonoses and Public Health.
Just as squeamish parents might expect, past studies have confirmed
that public sandboxes can host disease-causing organisms, including
parasites and bacteria. In the new study, Blanco’s team tested sand
from 20 sandboxes for children and 20 for dogs in Madrid parks.
Twenty-one of the sandboxes tested positive for C. diff. Of these,
eight of the samples were toxin-forming strains, the type that
causes disease in humans, while the remaining twelve were non-toxigenic.
The findings are not cause for alarm, Blanco told Reuters Health in
an email interview. He noted that C. difficile does not sicken
children younger than 2 years old. “We have to learn to live with
these agents. If our children live in a highly clean environment,
their immune system will not be developed in the correct way, and
probably, problems like allergy will be present,” he added.
“It is important do not leave organic material in the sandboxes,
that could serve as food to different kinds of animals in the night.
And also clean the sandboxes of possible animal fecal material
(mainly in the morning, before the use by children).”
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It’s not surprising to find C. difficile in sandboxes, Philip Tierno
Jr., a professor of pathology and microbiology at NYU School of
Medicine in New York City, told Reuters Health in a telephone
interview. Even though the study was done in Spain, he added, “it’s
really something that could have been done here because C. difficile
is ubiquitous.” Many people, including children, carry the bug
without being sick, Tierno said, and it can now even be found in the
food supply.
The best defense against C. difficile is careful handwashing, before
eating and drinking and before touching one’s face, according to
Tierno. While soap and water are effective against the germ, he
said, alcohol-based sanitizing gels will not kill the bug.
Private sandboxes are likely to be relatively clean, but they should
be covered when not in use to avoid bacteria and parasites carried
by animals like rats and raccoons, Tierno said.
He noted that when he takes his grandchildren to the park, he steers
clear of sandboxes. “I don’t see the need,” he said. “I’d rather
take my kid to the beach and play with the sand there.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2ueaqTj Zoonoses and Public Health, online
July 7, 2017.
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