Ball pits promise fun and games for little kids, but a new study revealed that these fun zones are actually contaminated with germs that can make kids sick.
Physical therapy clinics have ball pits in them to provide stimulation to kids whose sight or motor skills are impaired.
A team of researchers from the University of North Georgia examined six ball pits found in several inpatient and outpatient physical therapy clinics in Georgia and selected 9 to 15 balls for random samples.
What the researchers found was that there were considerable microbial colonization in the ball pits, including eight kinds of bacteria and one yeast that could cause disease among children.
Ball Pits Are Contaminated With Germs
Researchers of the study, which has been released in the American Journal of Infection Control, explained that the contamination of bacteria for each ball examined was as high as thousands of cells per ball.
This clearly demonstrated that there is a higher risk for possible transmission of these bacterial organisms to patients, as well as a higher risk for infection among kids, the researchers said.
The study found a total of 31 different bacterial specimens and one yeast species in the ball pits in Georgia.
Moreover, scientists found traces of Staphylococcus hominis, Enterococcus faecalis, Acinetobacter lwofii, and Streptococcus oralis in all the ball pits. These organisms are "human-associated bacteria" that cause nasty infections.
For instance, Staphylococcus hominis can cause bloodstream infections and has been found to cause sepsis in some cases.
Secondly, the bacteria Enterococcus faecalis can cause urinary tract infection, septicemia, meningitis, and endocarditis.
Thirdly, Acinetobacter lwofii has been found to cause pneumonia, meningitis, urinary tract infections, skin infections, and septicemia.
Lastly, Streptococcus oralis can cause the adult respiratory syndrome, streptococcal shock, and endocarditis.
What Must Be Done To Protect Kids?
Karen Hoffmann, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control, said that the findings of the study are quite important.
"This research shows that ball pits may pose an infection hazard," Hoffmann said.
The results suggest that one issue is that the ball pits are not being cleaned as often as they should be.
In fact, physical therapy clinics may even go on days or weeks before cleaning, which may allow time for bacteria and yeast to accumulate and grow to levels capable of transmission and infection.
Mary Ellen Oesterle, EdD, PT, lead author of the study, explained that clinics use different protocols for maintenance and cleaning, and this represents a need to clarify and establish standards that can reduce the risk of bacterial transmission.
Meanwhile, Hoffmann added that facilities should establish a program for regular cleaning to protect healthcare workers and patients from risks of potential infection.
The findings of the study come on the heels of reports which reveal that most hospital equipment such as privacy curtains contain antibiotic-resistant superbugs. There is also previous research which revealed that patients' hands and nostrils had traces of antibiotic-resistant superbug.
All these studies point to a growing need for a more established practice when it comes to cleaning and maintaining equipment, whether it's a ball pit inside a clinic or the privacy curtains in a hospital room.
Photo: Tasha Frey | Flickr
