No samples collected from poultry farms so far have tested positive for the H7N9 strain of avian influenza, China's agricultural authorities said on Friday.

As of Friday, of the 68,060 samples collected from poultry markets, habitats, farms and slaughterhouses across the country, 46 have tested positive for the virus, according to a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

Of the 46 positive samples, 44 were from 14 live poultry markets in east China's Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces, central China's Henan province and the city of Shanghai, said the statement.

Two other samples from Jiangsu, including a wild pigeon and a sample collected at a household farm of carrier pigeons, also tested positive for the virus, the statement said.

The virus has not been detected in pigs, the ministry added.