A pretty nasty bacteria has been seen more and more in hospitals and nursing homes. The growth is about 10,000 new cases per year of Clostridium difficile, aka C. diff. C. diff is resistant to most anti-biotics that work against colonic bacteria and caused about 300,000 hospitalizations in 2005. When patients take certain anti-biotics, competing bacteria die off and C. diff grows like crazy causing persistant diarrhea, colonic tissue breakdown and in some cases, colitis. About 5,500 deaths were attributed to C. diff infections in 2004.
 
Some researchers think the cause is inappropriate/overuse of anti-biotics; and most household disinfectants won't kill the spores. Regardless the cause, it is a growing problem for anyone taking any anti-biotic.

So how do you protect yourself? Minimize the use of anti-biotics and anti-biotic creams and cleansers. Make sure it is really necessary before taking them. Is it a virus you picked up? Anti-biotics won't help kill a viral infection.
 
Another way to protect yourself is to act pro-actively whenever you have to take an anti-biotic. A common, non-colonizing yeast called S. boulardii is effective against C. diff over-population. S. boulardii effectively prevents C. diff from adhering to the intestinal lining and setitng up shop where it can cause all sorts of mischief. S. boulardii has been used safely for 50 years in the US and Europe for all age groups and is available in convenient, vegetarian capsules. S. boulardii is a yeast and therefore is not affected by anti-biotics.
 
If you are allergic to yeast you should avoid S. boulardii, but if you have Candida problems, S. boulardii is effective at reducing the infection safely.