At least 8,000 superbug cases the Whitehall figures ignore

At least 8,000 examples a year are excluded from Government figures because these only record cases in patients aged 65 and over.

Rates of infection are rising across all ages - up by 40 per cent in the last three years.

During that time around 26,117 cases of Clostridium difficile infection in under 65s have been treated by hospitals - but not revealed to the public, say the Conservatives.

The revelation follows a Freedom of Information request which asked NHS Trusts to specify the level of C.diff infections among all ages.

Until now, the public has had access only to figures collected by the Health Protection Agency, which solely requires reporting of cases in patients aged 65 and over in England.

Campaigners claimed last night that the 56,000 cases last year in the official statistics were the "tip of the iceberg" and C.diff is now a bigger menace than MRSA.

C.diff infects more than eight times as many people as MRSA in hospitals and kills twice as many.

Two in every 500 death certificates now cites C.diff as a contributory or main factor, compared with one in 500 for MRSA. The number of C.diff deaths reached 3,807 in 2005, up from 2,247 in 2004.

The bug produces toxins which damage the lining of the bowel, resulting in severe diarrhoea, and is usually spread via the hands of healthcare staff and dirty surfaces.

Those over 65 are at greatest risk especially when treated with antibiotics that destroy the normal balance of the gut, allowing C.diff to take hold.

Tory MP Grant Shapps, who has compiled a germ map of "hidden" cases of C.diff, said: "These figures show that C difficile infection rates in British hospitals are dramatically worse than previously thought.

"Levels of infection are worsening in all age groups."

He said the Government must collect and publish all C.diff figures routinely in future.

"They collect MRSA figures and we should expect the same to be done for C.diff,' added Mr Shapps.

"Unless we know the extent of the problem, we can't judge how well it's being tackled and it's clear that hospital cleanliness is still a major issue.

"Hospitals say they are following Department of Health guidelines on handwashing and cleaning, so why is the problem getting worse?"

The report - called The Complete Germ Map of Britain - also shows an additional 32,707 C.diff cases in Scotland and Wales which have never been recorded.

The independent hospitals watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, said yesterday that health trusts would have their performance ranking downgraded if they failed to control C.diff outbreaks.

Katherine Murphy, of the Patients' Association, said: "It is vital for the public to see what is really happening in our hospitals and we should not need special attempts made to get the information."

The germ map is available at www.shapps.com/germmap