Another suspected bird flu case has been detected as authorities stressed the deadly strain had not been found in commercial poultry in Australia.

A giant petrel in South Australia has returned a suspect result for the H5 strain, prompting further testing by authorities as the national tally threatened to reach eight.

Six infections have been confirmed to date in migratory seabirds off Western Australia, SA and NSW.

The petrel and another suspect case in WA may push the national tally higher.

The virus was first detected on the Australian mainland on June 14 in a brown skua found at Esperance on WA’s south coast.

The giant petrel that is the latest suspected case was found at Hardwicke Bay in SA’s Yorke Peninsula. It was reported to the disease hotline before being collected and sampled by the state’s Primary Industries and Regions department.

Samples that returned the suspect detection have been sent to CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong for confirmation.

If the result is upheld, it will be SA’s second confirmed case.

SA Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said the detection was disappointing but not unexpected, given the pathway the strain had taken to Australia via wild migratory birds.

The new suspect case was considered isolated and there were no signs of spread into native wildlife, she said.

“It’s important to note that we still don’t have any detections in commercial poultry flocks, captive birds or any other birds in South Australia, nor has it become established in any part of Australia,” Scriven said in Adelaide on Tuesday.

Authorities say the immediate risk to the public remains low.

However, they are urging people not to touch sick or dead birds or wildlife, to keep pets away and to record the date, time, location and number of affected animals.

Environment groups want extra federal funding to strengthen wildlife resilience and improve monitoring, warning that relying on surveillance alone may not be enough if H5 spreads into native species.

Suspected cases should be reported to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Information is available at birdflu.gov.au and pir.sa.gov.au/birdflu.

-AAP