Patients who require lengthy hospitalizations and take antibiotics may be at risk for an infection that is resistant to antibiotic treatment.

C. Difficile is a pathogen that can cause severe intestinal disruption and, according to the Centers for Disease Control, has one of the highest rates of infection, more than any other bug that causes gastrointestinal infection. Along with MRSA, it causes 350,000 infections in hospitals annually, according to the CDC.

Patients most at risk may benefit from probiotics, the "good bacteria" found in the stomach, as a recent study suggested that probiotic supplementation may limit recurrence of the infection.

"Almost one in four patients [who suffer from infections related to the pathogen ]will experience a recurrence of symptoms after a round of antibiotic therapy alone," says Dr. Raymond. Using supplementation and making requests for early discharges may then appeal to those who want to minimize their risk.

The rate of death related to the infection quadrupled in a five-year-period, according to a CDC study, and incidences have been uncovered in nearly every state.