Stomach bug crystallizes an antibiotic threat

Although the illness is difficult to track, health officials estimate that in the United States Clostridium difficile cause 350,000 infections each year in hospitals alone, with tens of thousands more occurring in nursing homes. While the majority of cases are found in healthcare settings, 20% or more may occur in the community. The illness kills an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people annually. The rate of C. difficile infection among hospital patients doubled from 2001 to 2005, according to an April 2008 report from the CDC.