BERLIN, March 17 (Reuters) - Germany’s Friedrich Merz, one of the most likely candidates to take over the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), has tested positive for coronavirus.

A spokesman for Merz on Tuesday confirmed a report first published by the dpa news agency which quoted him as saying: “A test carried out on Sunday is positive. I will stay at home in quarantine until the end of next week.”

The party has postponed a conference planned for late April to pick a new leader after Merkel protege Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said last month she would stand down. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke Writing by Madeline Chambers Editing by Joseph Nasr)