Q FEVER IN CAMELIDS WITH OWN INVESTIGATIONS IN DROMEDARIES

U. Wernery
Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 597, Dubai, UAE

ABSTRACT

Q fever has been neglected as a zoonosis for many years but has recently emerged in many countries including Holland, Japan and Australia who have reported outbreaks in their human population. In humans, infection is primarily by inhalation of contaminated dust. Rats seem to play an important role as reservoir for QF. Many serological investigations found high prevalence up to 80% in dromedaries, but preliminary investigations have shown that fresh unpasteurised camel milk does not seem to be a source of infection.
Key words: Antibody, camelids, ELISA, Q fever