A 35-year-old Indonesian woman who died last week was infected with bird flu, two local tests showed, and a possible new cluster case is being probed after her daughter died showing similar symptoms, officials said on Sunday.

The woman from the West Javan village of Cikelet -- which has seen a series of confirmed and suspected cases of bird flu in humans -- died on August 17 after being treated for symptoms of the H5N1 virus in the province´s Dr. Slamet hospital.

"Euis Lina was positive, we suspect there is a possibility of cluster," Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari told Reuters by telephone.

Another official said the dead woman´s 9-year-old daughter died a week before her mother after showing signs of bird flu, although no specimens were taken for testing.

"Her 9-year old daughter died a week before her, but we did not take her specimens, so we don´t know whether she is positive or negative," I Nyoman Kandun, Indonesia´s director general of communicable disease control, said by telephone.

"It seems she had the same symptoms -- pneumonia, breathlessness. If the daughter was also positive we can say this is cluster family."

The latest death takes Indonesia´s toll from the disease to 46, the highest of any country.

The official said that they were collecting samples from others who may have been in contact with the family from the hamlet of Pasir Gambir in an area described as rife with the H5N1 virus in local poultry.  

A team from the health ministry, local authorities and the World Health Organization are in the area investigating.

"From the government´s view based on our initial tests the virus has only been caught from fowl so far. But we are doing surveillance now," the health minister said.

The comments contrast with remarks from officials last week playing down the prospect of a cluster given that the cases had often been in different hamlets in the area.