The Saudi authorities have been testing samples of five falcons for possible infection of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Saturday.

The five have already been tested positive to the H5 strain of bird flu and the authorities are waiting for test results on the sub-type, according to the report, citing the Agriculture Ministry.

Altogether 37 falcons including the five, which were raised in a veterinary center in the capital Riyadh, have been culled, the report added.

It is the first bird flu case reported in Saudi Arabia.

Neighboring Kuwait reported in November a case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the first such case in the Gulf region.

Experts fear that bird flu, which currently jumps from birds to humans, might mutate into a form that easily pass among humans, which would mean a global pandemic, killing millions.

The H5N1 strain has killed some 80 people worldwide so far since late 2003.

Source: Xinhua