By Daisy Ayliffe - 1st March 2006
A domestic cat found dead in Germany tested positive for bird flu on Tuesday, raising fears that the deadly virus could spread to other species.
The WHO said the case represented the first time the virus has been found in a mammal in Europe.
The find increases concern that the virus could spread to other species in Europe as it has in other parts of the world.
"We know that mammals can become infected with H5N1. But we don't know what this means for humans,” a WHO representative explained.
"We don't know if they would play a role in transmitting the disease. We don't know how much virus the cats would excrete, how much people would need to be exposed to before they fell ill."
H5N1 is the highly pathogenic form of the virus that also causes illness in humans but so far no human has been infected by a cat.
The cat was found dead on the island of Ruegen, where most of the cases of H5N1-infected wild birds in the country have been found.
The WHO said it is possible the cat ate a bird.
Scientists are concerned about bird flu infecting pigs - because they can also become infected with human flu virus.
It is feared the two viruses could swap genetic material creating a new virus and with it, a human pandemic.
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