Maryln Glen said, “C.difficile can be carried in the gut of many children under the age of two and in many adults without harm

“However, I am sure people in Scotland want to see exactly the same lower minimum age of two years for the monitoring of C.diff being applied here.

“The dangers of C.diff have already been tragically highlighted this year and the benefits of a consistent approach to monitoring C.diff across the UK seem obvious.”

In 2006 there were 169 cases of children younger than one with C.diff in Scotland. There were 161 cases reported of children between one and four and 173 cases between the ages of five and 14.

But Health Protection Scotland claims existing tests are not recommended for under 15s.

In response to a parliamentary question lodged by Ms Glen, Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon said, “Younger children are carriers of C.diff without symptoms and the disease does not appear to occur in childhood.

“Given the lack of appropriate tests and the probability this group is at very low risk it does not seem appropriate to recommend testing which is unproven and could lead to unnecessary treatment. HPS will, however, keep the situation under review.”