A bird flu outbreak in poultry has been reported in southern China's Guangdong Province, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.

The National Bird Flu Reference Laboratory confirmed the case at a market in Liwan District of Guangzhou City on Thursday.

It was caused by the highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype of the avian influenza virus, the ministry said.

The disease, which killed 114 domestic fowl and led to the culling of another 518, was brought under effective control by the ministry and provincial government.

It was China's fifth bird flu outbreak in poultry this year.

Previous cases included one in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, two in the southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region and one in the southwestern Guizhou Province.

There have been 29 human bird flu cases in China, of which 19 were fatal.

(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2008)