London ? Researchers in Hong Kong have found evidence of the SARS virus in three small mammals, including a civet cat that is eaten as a delicacy by some Chinese.

But the World Health Organization said Friday it could not rule out the possibility the animals acquired the virus from humans, or that the virus jumped to humans from another animal altogether.

“It’s certainly too early to draw final conclusions on those findings, but they are clearly quite exciting,” said Dr. Francois Meslin, a WHO expert on diseases acquired from animals.

The findings were announced hours after WHO lifted its travel warning for Hong Kong and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, saying outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome in those areas are now under control.

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong examined 25 animals belonging to eight species in a live animal market in southern China that supplies restaurants in Guangdong province, where the SARS outbreak is believed to have started.

Six of the animals tested were masked palm civets, which look like long-nosed cats but are related to the mongoose. All the civets, which came from several different owners and appeared healthy, tested positive for a SARS-like virus, said Dr. Klaus Stohr, WHO’s chief SARS virologist.

One raccoon dog — a member of the dog family native to eastern Asia — was tested and found to have the virus in its feces. Antibodies against the virus also were found in the dog.

Antibodies were also found in the lone badger that was examined.

A civet cat is seen in a cage in Tokyo. The World Health Organization has traced the SARS virus to the civet cat and two other small mammals in China, and researchers are investigating a possible link between the animals and the SARS outbreak in humans, an official said Friday.

The results from the civets were considered the strongest, Stohr said, because the virus itself was found in their bodies, they carried antibodies and they all tested positive despite having different owners and being kept on different sides of the market.

“That’s a relatively strong indication that these animals may play a particular role,” Stohr said.

The scientists unraveled the genetic code of two of the virus samples from the civets to see how closely they matched the human SARS virus.

“These viruses were almost identical to the human virus,” Stohr said.