A WHO laboratory expert arrived in Beijing Monday morning to assist in the medical examination of the suspected SARS case in the southern Guangdong Province.

"The Australian expert will help with interpretation and verification of the results of tests done so far and to assist with further investigations," Roy Wadia, spokesman of the World Health Organization (WHO) China office, said.

The Chinese health authorities have also asked for medical equipment, including test kits. "The issue is being processed," he said.

The WHO China office said in a statement that reports from the Health Ministry said tests had been carried out by three laboratories, two at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the other at the Guangdong provincial CDC.

"The Health Ministry has informed the WHO that the results indicate the possibility of SARS coronavirus infection. However, results at this stage are inconclusive, and further tests need to be carried out for a final conclusion," said the statement.

The Health Ministry said epidemiological investigations showed that in the two weeks prior to the onset of symptoms the patient had no known contact with high-risk groups such as health workers or animal handlers. The source of the suspected SARS infection was therefore unclear.

The Health Ministry reported on Dec. 27 that a 32-year-old man was suspected of being infected with SARS in Guangdong. So far, the man had a normal temperature for five days and is now in a stable condition.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2003)