EASTBOURNE, England, March 25 (UPI) -- At least three people died at a British hospital in an infectious outbreak that may be responsible indirectly for another 10 deaths, authorities say.

Seventeen people were being treated for infection with clostridium difficile in an isolation ward at Eastbourne District General Hospital, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.


The hospital announced the deaths this week.

C. difficile is normal in the human digestive system but multiplies when treatment with antibiotics disturbs the normal balance of bacteria in the body, doctors say. This can be especially dangerous for elderly patients or for those with serious illness that have left them less able to fight infection.

Officials for East Sussex National Health Service Trust said an unusually high number of patients with respiratory infections may have been responsible for the outbreak. Many wards have been closed for cleaning with patients transferred to other hospitals as much as 30 miles away.