A woman from Cornwall has become the first person in Britain known to contract bovine tuberculosis from an alpaca, prompting calls for tighter regulations on the animals. Dianne Summers, 51, who owns 20 alpacas, warned that without compulsory testing, the disease could spread rapidly among the UK's 30,000-plus alpacas.
Summers contracted bovine TB after eight of her herd were diagnosed with the disease four years ago. She suffered severe flu-like symptoms and was diagnosed with pulmonary TB after a chest x-ray. Further tests confirmed she had caught the infection from her animals. She now faces nine months of drug treatment with strong side-effects, leaving her exhausted and unable to drive.
Unlike cattle, alpacas and other camelids are not required to undergo regular TB tests, and owners can legally refuse testing for suspect animals. There is also no legal requirement for registration or recording of movements. The National Farmers Union has expressed concern that this lack of regulation could allow the disease to spread to other farm animals.
Last month, up to 500 alpacas were slaughtered after a TB outbreak on a farm in Burgess Hill, East Sussex. Since 1999, there have been 58 TB outbreaks in alpaca herds, affecting around 5% of the total. The British Alpaca Society insists owners are not in denial, but the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says a reliable test for TB in alpacas is needed before closer monitoring can be introduced.
