British figures today revealed the number of times Clostridium difficile was mentioned on death certificates rose by a massive 69 per cent between 2004 and 2005.
The bug is far less well-known than MRSA but in 2004 it was linked to twice as many deaths as the more famous deadly superbug, which has dogged hospitals in recent years.
Deaths involving MRSA in the same one year period rose by almost half the amount, 39 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Experts have said Clostridium difficile is endemic throughout the health service - a view corroborated by a leaked Government memo in January this year.
It disclosed that the NHS was not on track to meet its target of cutting MRSA cases by 50 per cent before April 2008 and said Clostridium difficile cases had now overtaken those of MRSA.
C. difficile is a bacterium found in the gut of up to 3 per cent of healthy adults and 66 per cent of infants while MRSA is carried by around one in three people on their skin or in their nose. MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is dubbed a superbug because it is resistant to anti-biotics.
Antibiotics can still be used to treat MRSA but it might need a much higher dose over a longer period or the use of an antibiotic to which the bacteria is not resistant. C. difficile, in contrast, is not officially a "superbug" because it can be treated relatively easily but it can be spread unintentionally by patients with diarrhoea and lead to hospital outbreaks.
It rarely causes problems but can cause illness when its growth goes unchecked. It can also thrive when treatment with certain antibiotics disturbs the balance of "normal" bacteria in the gut.
Sufferers can sometimes have no symptoms at all or experience mild to severe diarrhoea or in some cases severe inflammation of the bowel which can be life threatening.
The elderly are most at risk, with over 80 per cent of cases reported in the over 65-age group but any patients with weakened immune systems or who have had regular enemas or gut surgery can also be affected. The bug forms spores which means it can survive for long periods in the environment, such as on floors and around toilets, and spread in the air.