A patient has died following an outbreak of Clostridium difficile at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Health officials confirmed the bug was not the main cause of the woman's death, but have closed Ward 13 at the hospital to new admissions.
Five other patients from the ward have been diagnosed with C.difficile and are being treated together.
However, their condition is not said to be causing concern.
Alisdair Chisholm, from NHS Grampian Acute Services, said: “We’ve put together an outbreak control team in Ward 13, where this has happened, and we’re following our protocols there in terms of containing infection; in terms of ensuring that our hygiene standards are the best that they can be.
“We’ve closed the ward so there’s no unnecessary movement in or out, that’s obviously to contain the infection and limit possibility of spread.”
An outbreak control team, which meets on a daily basis, has been established to respond to the development.
Officials insisted “robust controls” were in place, including good hand hygiene compliance, enhanced cleaning of the wards, and a review of antibiotic prescribing.
There are a total of 13 patients on Ward 13 and patients and families have been informed of events.
C.difficile is a bacterium that can survive in an environment, such as a hospital ward, and upon infecting a patient, can attack the intestinal system.
