Italian man, 25, latest suspected hantavirus case after travelling on flight alongside woman who later died
So far, 11 hantavirus cases have been reported among people on the cruise, including three deaths.
Italy's top infectious diseases hospital said on Tuesday it would examine biological samples from a man in quarantine having come into contact with a woman who died of Hantavirus.
Listen to this article
The 25-year-old from the southern region of Calabria had been placed in quarantine after travelling on a Dutch KLM flight alongside a woman who later died from a hantavirus infection.
It was previously reported that the man was being transferred to the Spallanzani hospital in Rome, but the hospital later clarified that it was only awaiting his biological samples in order to analyse them.
Three people have died linked to the outbreak on the MV Hondius, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde.
Two of the victims have been named as Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, 70, and his wife, Mirjam Schilperoord, 69.
The deadly disease reportedly struck down Mr Schilperoord on April 11, before his grieving wife died a few days later.
It is understood that Mrs Schilperoord briefly boarded a KLM flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam after her husband's death, but was not allowed to fly as she was unwell. She was later taken to hospital, where she died.
Read more: Government hopes to fly 22 Britons back to UK on Sunday after Hantavirus outbreak
One British man with hantavirus is still being cared for in Johannesburg and is thought to be improving, while another is in the Netherlands.
Another British national has hantavirus and is isolating where he lives on the remote South Atlantic Island of Tristan da Cunha.
Over the weekend, six paratroopers, an RAF consultant and an Army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade were parachuted onto Tristan da Cunha to help care for him.
Twenty British nationals from the MV Hondius, together with a German who is a UK resident and a Japanese passenger, were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral on Sunday after the ship docked in Tenerife.
Strict infection control measures were in place throughout the journey to Arrowe Park, with passengers, crew, drivers and medical teams all wearing personal protective equipment, including face masks.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday evening that clinical assessments and testing at the hospital were well underway.
US officials said on Sunday that an American among the 17 being flown to Nebraska from the ship tested positive for hantavirus, but has no symptoms.
On Monday, it was confirmed that an 18th American patient has dual British nationality and is among those isolating in Nebraska.