Another patient infected with Clostridium difficile has died at the Scottish hospital where the bug has claimed eight lives, it emerged yesterday.

Health chiefs said that the latest case was confirmed last Thursday and insisted that the bacterium was not the main reason for the death.

In a statement, NHS Greater Glasgow said: “This patient was seriously ill from an unrelated condition and C.diff was not the main cause of death.”

The death takes to 23 the number dead at the Vale of Leven hospital in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire associated with - though not necessarily caused by - the C.diff bug.

According to figures released by the health board last week eight patients have died from the virus in the past six months, while the infection was a contributory factor in a further eight deaths.

Another six patients with the infection also died at the hospital but the health board said that the bacterium played no role in their deaths.

The same statistics showed that before the latest case 54 patients had been treated for C.diff between December and June - 41 contracting the infection after admission.

According to NHS Greater Glasgow, the latest death was reported yesterday at a meeting of the control team investigating the outbreak.

Three patients remain infected with C.diff and are being treated in isolation where they are in a stable condition. Health bosses said that the outbreak team aimed to bring the bug under control and have introduced a number of measures to contain its spread. Among the steps it has taken are initiating a new antibiotics policy and assigning the health board's lead hand-hygiene expert to the Vale of Leven hospital.

Health Protection Scotland has been asked to carry out an independent review of infection-control procedures to ensure that they meet national standards, and an independent review has begun of all patients in whom C.diff has been diagnosed in the past six months. An extra ward has been opened to improve handwashing for patients.

Dr Syed Ahmed, chairman of the team, said: “I can give an absolute assurance that we are carefully scrutinising every infection-control measure as we investigate why there was a higher than expected incidence of C.diff at the Vale in January, February, and May of this year.”

Last week Alex Salmond was under pressure to explain a delay of four months in beginning an investigation into the deaths. Wendy Alexander, the Scottish Labour leader, called for an independent inquiry into the superbug outbreak. During First Minister's Questions on Thursday Ms Alexander said: “Given that this may be, in terms of the mortality rate, the most severe outbreak ever in Scotland, an inquiry is valuable and it should be seen to be independent of government.”

Mr Salmond said that Nicola Sturgeon, the Health Secretary, was considering an inquiry.

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