Clostridium difficile-associated disease in New Jersey hospitals, 2000-2004.

Recent emergence of a virulent strain of Clostridium difficile demonstrates the importance of tracking C. difficile incidence locally. Our survey of New Jersey hospitals documented increases in the rates of C. difficile disease (by 2-fold), C. difficile-associated complications (by 7-fold), and C. difficile outbreaks (by 12-fold) during 2000-2004.