PARIS — France's Pasteur Institute on Friday fully sequenced the Andes virus detected in a French passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship. Genomic analysis confirmed the virus found in the passenger matched the virus detected in other cases aboard the ship and closely resembled known Andes virus samples circulating in South America.

The viruses detected in patients from the ship were identical to each other and about 97% similar to some Andes viruses circulating in South America, including those identified in rodents. No evidence so far suggests the virus has new characteristics that would make it more transmissible or more dangerous.

"The analyzed virus corresponds to the viruses already known and monitored in South America," Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said Friday on social media. Rist said the sequencing data would be shared with the international scientific community.

Jean-Claude Manuguerra, head of Pasteur's Environment and Infectious Risk unit, said the remaining variation appeared to reflect natural viral variation and did not seem to affect the characteristics of the virus detected among travelers. The Andes virus is the only form of hantavirus that can be transmitted from person to person. Hantaviruses are a family of rare viruses usually passed to humans through contact with contaminated rodent waste or saliva, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases can result in severe pulmonary and respiratory distress.

The French passenger tested positive for hantavirus after traveling aboard the MV Hondius and has been treated in Paris. French authorities previously said the passenger was in serious condition.

The outbreak on the MV Hondius has reached 11 cases, nine of which have been confirmed, according to the World Health Organization. Three people on the cruise died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America. The couple visited sites where the species of rat known to carry the Andes virus was present, according to the World Health Organization.

Cruise ship passengers were evacuated from the MV Hondius after it arrived in Spain's Canary Islands and placed on repatriation flights to their home countries last week. The evacuated passengers included 17 Americans and one British dual citizen who arrived in the U.S. early on May 11. As of Friday, they were being monitored at the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska.