HONG KONG, March 4 (Reuters) - Animal health experts said on Wednesday a quarantined dog of a coronavirus patient in Hong Kong could be the first case of human-to-animal transmission, although they cautioned the matter remained under investigation.

The dog does not yet have any symptoms. Animal health experts examining the Hong Kong case said pet owners should not be overly concerned and should not abandon their pets.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it would conduct further tests to confirm whether the dog has been infected with coronavirus, and that there is no evidence pets can be a source of infection. (Reporting By Felix Tam, Jessie Pang and Marius Zaharia Writing by Anne Marie Roantree Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.