A series of test results indicated it was likely that the nine-month-old girl found earlier with H9N2 infection contracted the virus from birds, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Department of Health said Friday.

According to the spokesman, genetic sequencing studies of the virus isolated from the girl showed that all the genes from the virus were entirely of avian origin.

He explained that the test results indicated it was more likely that the virus was directly transmitted from bird to human and that there was no re-assortment with human influenza virus.

As regards the laboratory tests on the respiratory specimens taken from a healthcare worker and three children staying in the same cubicle in the United Christian Hospital with the baby girl in early March, all of them yielded negative result to H9 virus.

The four had shown mild upper respiratory infection symptoms and specimens were taken from them for testing on March 22.

Hong Kong health officials confirmed on March 20 a human case of H9N2 infection, a mild form of avian influenza, the first of its kind during the past three years in Hong Kong.

(Xinhua News Agency March 24, 2007)