My question is this:two days ago, my 5yr old daughter insisted on swimming in a (large) "puddle" left on our local beach by a beach restoration project that is currently underway. The puddle consisted of water from the gulf of mexico but was further up on the beach and so was not constantly being "churned" by new waves and fresh water. Instead, the water had been sitting there all day and was hot and (i'm thinking) slap full of microorganisms and bacteria. One day later (yesterday) she came down with a nasty cold and is now complaining (today) that her ear hurts. Could she have come down with this cold as a direct result of swimming in the puddle and does she most likely now have an ear infection from the wonderful unknown (and dead!) organisms that took a swim in her ear?

Thank you so much in advance for your input!!!