Irish hospitals are being warned to be vigilant for a superbug which has been linked to twice as many deaths as MRSA in recent years.
Scientists from Dublin City University will present research on the Clostridium Difficile bacteria at a conference today.
They say its symptoms range from mild illness to life-threatening disease.
In the worst cases, the walls of the colon become inflamed and wear away, causing a potentially fatal infection of the stomach.