"Clostridium difficile" bacteria can cause bad diarrhea and serious illness. Usually, people get "Clostridium difficile" infection after they have taken antibiotic medicines. These medicines can kill the healthy bacteria that normally live in the intestines and keep "Clostridium difficile" bacteria under control. "Clostridium difficile" infection can be spread from person to person, and is getting more common in hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities. Just in the United States, 14,000 people die every year from "Clostridium difficile" infection.