HUNDREDS of passengers will have to wait weeks to find out whether they have contracted a deadly strain of hepatitis which struck Southampton-based cruise ship Aurora.

A health probe is under way after seven passengers on a world cruise tested positive for hepatitis E.

A sample of 600 of the other 1,800 holidaymakers are being tested to see if they also contracted the illness on board the P&O vessel.

But the Health Protection Agency (HPA), which is investigating the cause, said it would take until the middle of May to get the results back.

The victims - men and women in their 50s and 60s - turned yellow and suffered sickness and diarrhoea.

Another woman, aged 75, collapsed onboard and had to be referred to a hospital in New Zealand before returning to the ship. P&O said test results for her symptoms were inconclusive.

Other passengers were only made aware of the outbreak when they returned home and received letters from the HPA.

It sent out 1,100 letters inviting them to undergo blood tests and fill in a questionnaire.

Hepatitis E is a form of severe liver inflammation. It is rife in developing countries and is usually passed on through contaminated food or water supplies. Symptoms can take up to 60 days to appear. It is fatal in two per cent of cases.

Aurora returned to South-ampton on March 28 after a 12-week world cruise. The first passenger fell sick in February.

The Aurora has suffered a series of jinxes since it was launched by Princess Anne in 2000.

The traditional bottle of champagne failed to smash - considered by some a bad omen.

In 2003 about 600 passengers and crew caught the Norovirus. Two years later a world cruise had to be abandoned because of engine trouble.

In a joint statement the HPA and P&O confirmed the cases of hepatitis E among passengers.

"The illness was most likely contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water during the cruise," it said.

"Person-to-person transmission is very uncommon and unlikely.

"The HPA has been working closely with the Port Health Authority and P&O Cruises to ensure all passengers receive appropriate information."

It added: "The ship underwent a formal public health inspection recently in which it scored very highly."

The HPA urged passengers to seek medical advice if they were worried.

A spokesman for P&O said it was too early to comment on any compensation.