NHS Grampian has bucked a national trend and reported a slight increase in superbug outbreaks during the first three months of this year.
There were 28 cases of Clostridium difficile (C.diff) infection in hospitals between January-March.
By contrast, 18 cases were reported between October-December last year and 24 in the first three months of 2013.
The Scottish Government released statistics yesterday which showed the number of C.diff cases across the country had fallen to its lowest level on record.
There were 361 outbreaks between January-March this year, down from 410 cases between October-December last year and 392 during the first three months of 2013.
Similarly, cases of MRSA and MSSA superbugs in Scottish hospitals also fell during the last quarter, bringing levels to their second-lowest since records began.
Referring to NHS Grampian, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “This increase has only been observed this quarter and does not reflect any long term trends.
“NHS Grampian’s rate for C.diff in all age categories remains below the national average and, as with all Scottish health boards, over the last few years has seen a substantial fall in rates.
“This is due to the impact of co-ordinated efforts across the NHS in Scotland in relation to infection prevention and control and prudent prescribing.
“However, as with all variations, the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland will keep this under review.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “There are fluctuations from quarter to quarter but the overall direction is a reduction in both the number of cases and the rates.
“There is no room for complacency and we will continue to monitor C.diff very closely.”
The figures showed there were 15 cases of C.diff reported in NHS Highland hospitals during the first three months of this year, down from 18 between October-December last year and 12 between January-March in 2013.