Deadly superbug in NZ hospitals

 A superbug that has killed thousands of people overseas is circulating in New Zealand hospitals, health officials say.

The antibiotic resistant intestinal bug - clostridium difficile - can cause mild to severe diarrhoea depending on the strain.

It has claimed the lives of thousands of people overseas in the past decade, including 14 people in Australia two years ago .

Recent national surveys of laboratories had identified ''nasty'' strains of the superbug in New Zealand - the first confirmed cases were in Auckland in 2010.

Normal strains are common and cause mild diarrhoea, while the hypervirulent strain can be deadly.

Wellington Hospital has between 10 and 12 cases of clostridium difficile each month, Capital & Coast District Health Board infectious diseases specialist Tim Blackmore said.

''The bottom line is we see very little C-diff in the hospitals in this region. It's a daughter of the big ticket one that's causing some problems in health jurisdictions in Canada, the States and Europe. When it causes problems it's usually on the back of poor hospital hygiene.''

Severe cases were sporadic and also occurring in the community, Blackmore said.

''So it's not just about hospitals. It's been around since Adam was a cowboy, but the reason people are getting interested is because we can do the tests to separate out the ones that are nasty.''

Taking antibiotics can trigger the bug and the best way to treat it is by stopping the medication if a doctor advises to do so.

People can have several relapses and like any stomach bug they can have a ''jippy tummy'' for about six months, Blackmore said.

In extreme cases the bug can cause perforations of the bowel and surgery is needed to fix the leaks.

Faecal transplants have been used as a treatment, which involves a sick person receiving a healthy person's faeces via different methods.

Blackmore had offered this to a patient, but they politely declined  Stuff