The new study said the germ, resistant to some antibiotics, has become a regular menace in hospitals and nursing homes.
Atlanta-based Center for Disease Control found it played a role in nearly 300,000 hospitalizations in 2005, more than double the number in 2000.
The infection, Clostridium difficile, sometimes called C-diff, is found in the colon and can cause diarrhea and a more serious intestinal condition known as colitis. It is spread by spores in feces. But the spores are difficult to kill with most conventional household cleaners or anti-bacterial soap.
This virulent strain of C-diff was rarely seen before 2000.
The research will be published in the June issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a CDC publication.
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On the Net:
The CDC publication. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/index.htm
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/5/210347