A third premature baby has died at a hospital in Glasgow after a rare infection was found at a neonatal unit.

An incident team was set up earlier this year to investigate three cases of the Staphylococcus aureus blood stream infection at the Prince Royal Maternity Hospital, following the deaths of two premature babies.

The third baby has not been identified, although the health board confirmed that the “staph” infection was a contributing factor in the death.

Experts admitted in February, following the deaths of two premature babies, with a third baby said to be in “stable” condition, that the source of the infection may never be found.

The deaths were revealed days after a separate infection, linked to pigeon droppings, was named as a contributory factor in the deaths of two patients, including a schoolboy, at the city’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).

There have now been seven deaths in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area since January after patients picked up hospital-acquired infections.