The bacterium Clostridium difficile occurs regularly in European hospitals. This is apparent from research by the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
According to doctor-microbiologist Ed Kuijper and doctor-infectiologist Martijn Bauer of the LUMC, clostridium difficile even seems to be on the rise in Europe.
The bacteria that causes severe diarrhea and can be life-threatening to patients who are already debilitated anyway, is found more often than before. This may also be because hospitals are more alert and therefore detect an infection earlier.
How the bacteria are tackled varies greatly by country. The number of victims also differs considerably as a result.
