Pte Jamie Cooper has already contracted MRSA twice

Pte Jamie Cooper, who is being treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, had previously contracted MRSA twice while at the city's Selly Oak Hospital.

His family, from Bristol, complained about his treatment there in March.

University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said every precaution had been taken to prevent infection.

It added that the number of C.difficile cases within its facilities fell by 22% in the first nine months of this year compared with the same period last year.

Jamie has been cared for in a single room since his stay in hospital and every precaution for preventing infection has been taken Surgeon David Gourevitch

Pte Cooper, who suffered shrapnel wounds in Iraq, was diagnosed with suspected C.difficile after undergoing bowel surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Surgeon David Gourevitch, who is the clinical service lead for general surgery at the trust, said the operation was carried out to reverse emergency surgery originally performed to save the Pte Cooper's life.

He said: "During the procedure he had just one dose of antibiotics, in line with best practice for bowel surgery to prevent wound infection.

"He is being treated for a presumed diagnosis of C.diff while we wait for confirmation of tests.

"Due to the nature of his injuries and his planned treatment, Jamie has been cared for in a single room since his stay in hospital and every precaution for preventing infection has been taken."

Formal complaint

He added that the soldier was expected to make a full recovery and that it was possible Pte Cooper had been harbouring the C.difficile organism in his bowel.

Pte Cooper was serving with the Royal jackets in Basra, Iraq, last November when a mortar bomb exploded behind him, wounding him in the stomach and backside.

In March, Defence Secretary Des Browne said an inquiry had begun into the treatment received by Pte Cooper at Selly Oak Hospital after his family made a formal complaint.

The hospital has several wards managed by the military and is the headquarters of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine.