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Study: Nasty stomach bug much more common than thought in US

This 2004 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a cluster of Clostridium difficile bacteria. The intestinal bug sickens nearly twice as many Americans each year as was previously thought, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015. The germ — Clostridium difficile, or C-diff — flourishes in the gut after antibiotics kill off other bacteria and causes diarrhea. It can be severe and is blamed for about 15,000 deaths annually — mainly in the elderly. (AP Photo/Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Lois S. Wiggs, Janice Carr) This 2004 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a cluster of Clostridium difficile bacteria. The intestinal bug sickens nearly twice as many Americans each year as was previously thought, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015. The germ — Clostridium difficile, or C-diff — flourishes in the gut after antibiotics kill off other bacteria and causes diarrhea. It can be severe and is blamed for about 15,000 deaths annually — mainly in the elderly. (AP Photo/Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Lois S. Wiggs, Janice Carr)

By Associated Press February 25, 2015 2 min read

ATLANTA (AP) – A nasty intestinal bug sickens nearly twice as many Americans each year as was previously thought, according to the largest U.S. study to look at the problem.

The germ – Clostridium difficile, or C-diff – flourishes in the gut after antibiotics kill off other bacteria and causes diarrhea. It can be severe and is blamed for about 15,000 deaths annually – mainly in the elderly.

For years, it’s been perceived as a growing problem, and health officials have made it a focus in campaign to reduce infections picked up in the hospital.

More from the new study, which was led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine:

THE FINDINGS