Wayne Bass says his life has been ruined after developing infection serving in Helmand

A former soldier is suing the Ministry of Defence over its failure to protect him from contracting Q fever in Afghanistan.

Wayne Bass, a private from the 2nd Battalion, the Mercian Regiment, said his life had been ruined after developing the infection while serving in Helmand province in 2011 and not being given antibiotics by the army.

Humans can catch Q fever by breathing in dust from the faeces of infected farm animals such as sheep, cattle and goats. The NHS says the bacterial infection is usually harmless, but can cause serious problems in some people.

It is the first case to test the MoD’s duty to protect against Q fever, according to Hilary Meredith Solicitors, acting for Bass. The five-day trial, starting at Central London county court on Monday, will examine the extent of any duty owed by the army to Bass in relation to Q fever, and whether that duty was breached.

Justin Glenister, a partner at Hilary Meredith Solicitors, said: “This is the first case in which the question will be asked whether the MoD had a duty to protect soldiers against this known risk of Q fever, which we say was a preventable risk, and what steps it ought to have taken to protect them. There are other similar cases being prepared.”

Another Afghanistan war veteran who contracted Q fever won a compensation claim against the MoD last year. Phillip Eaglesham, a former Royal Marine commando corporal, contracted the chronic condition two days before he was due to return home from a tour of duty in 2010.

Eaglesham’s lawyers had argued that the MoD should have known that the infection was present in southern Afghanistan and that it could have prevented it causing serious illness.

The MoD said it would be inappropriate to comment while legal proceedings were ongoing.