The deadly H5N1 bird flu strain was found in a cat in Germany today, while Sweden confirmed two wild ducks had also tested positive for bird flu.

Germany said the cat was found on the northern island of Ruegen, where many wild birds infected by the flu strain have been found.

It is the first time the virus has been found in the country in an animal other than a bird, the national lab said.

Meanwhile, Sweden has confirmed bird flu has been found in two ducks in southern Sweden. It was the first known cases of a deadly strain in the country.

However, authorities would not confirm it was the deadly H5N1 strain. Agriculture Ministry spokesman Anders Gronvall would only say "it is the form people have died from, the kind we have feared.''

"I would be surprised if it is not H5N1,'' Marianne Elvander of the National Veterinary Institute said, adding tests showed the virus was identical to strains found in Nigeria, Russia and China.

The birds were found near a nuclear power plant in Oskarshamn, about 250 kilometres south of Stockholm.

The virus has spread from Asia to Europe and Africa. Scientists fear it could mutate into a form that could be transmitted between humans, sparking a global pandemic.

That was the focus of a conference being held in Paris today, hosted by the World Organization for Animal Health. Veterinary chiefs from some 50 countries are attending the two day conference.

Those attending said it was necessary for all countries to take proper measures to halt the spread of bird flu. Failing to do so "can seriously endanger the rest of the planet," said a closing statement from the organization, also known as OIE.

Experts warn that the risk could increase this spring, with the migration to Europe of possibly infected birds from the Middle East and Africa.

H5N1 was confirmed Tuesday in Niger, following previous confirmations in Nigeria and Egypt.

On Saturday, France became the first of 25 European Union states to report H5N1 in commercial poultry.

With files from The Associated Press