Animal disease could spread to humans, Dubai farmers warned

A potentially crippling disease that can, in some instances, spread to humans has been found in farm animals and endangered species in Dubai.

Vets and farm workers are being advised to take precautions after a study found that Q fever was prevalent in the emirate.

The bacteria can, in severe cases, cause pneumonia and meningitis in humans.

"It's a concern because humans can catch it," said the report's author, Anne-Lise Chaber, a research associate of the Zoological Society of London. "There's a lack of awareness in the UAE. Anyone working with an infected animal can be at risk."

The study, published in last month's Journal of Wildlife Diseases, found that, in the areas studied, 70 per cent of goats and sheep and 6 per cent of free-ranging species like Arabian oryx and the Spekes gazelle were infected with Q fever.

The disease is highly contagious and can be contracted by humans through inhaling spores from faeces or the afterbirth of an animal.

The government of the Netherlands took the step two years ago of culling 50,000 goats after a huge outbreak of Q fever, which resulted in 2,200 people becoming infected.

However, there have been only limited studies in the Emirates. Dr Ulrich Werenery, scientific director of the central veterinary research laboratory in Dubai, said there was a lack of information on its prevalence here.

An outbreak in Oman more than a decade ago put two farm workers in hospital with respiratory complaints that were later linked to Qfever. A study in 2000 found that the disease was "prevalent, but undiagnosed" in Oman and the wider Arabian Peninsula.

The sample in the latest study, conducted between 2005-2008, was taken from several nature reserves in the emirate, including the Wadi Al Safa Wildlife Centre in Dubai.

Declan O'Donovan, the director of wildlife services at the centre, declined to say whether any infected animals had been found. However, he said the centre had strict rules to minimise infection.

In 2007, a CVRL study found that racing camels contained an antibody against Q fever which prevented them getting sick or passing on the disease in their stools or placenta.

In 2010, another study linked several miscarriages among the endangered Dama gazelle to Q fever.

Dr Chaber said the disease was of particular concern in endangered species. "Its especially important if the animals are involved in conservation programmes," she said.

"If you have not done tests and have brought an infected animal to a conservation area for a breeding programme, then you can transmit the disease to the entire community in that country.

"If you get it in your herd, it's very difficult to get rid of it."

This story has been corrected since publication. Q fever is caused by bacteria and not a virus.