Hong Kong, Feb 28 (IANS): Low levels of the cornavirus was detected in a Hong Kong patient's pet dog, authorities said on Friday, adding that further tests are needed to understand the situation.

While the dog does not have any relevant symptoms, its nasal and oral cavity samples were tested positive to low levels of the virus, Xinhua news agency quoted a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) as saying.

The spokesman said the AFCD will collect further samples of the dog to confirm if it has really been infected or was it a result of environmental contamination of the the canine's mouth and nose.

There has been no evidence that pets can be infected with the virus or can be a source of infection to people, he added.

After its owner was infected with the virus, the AFCD picked up the dog from a residential flat at Tai Hang on Wednesday evening and then sent it to an animal facility.

The dog is still under quarantine at the facility where there were no other animals.

The AFCD advised that pets of infected patients be delivered to its designated animal facilities for quarantine and veterinary surveillance for 14 days, with their samples to be collected for testing of the virus.