For the first time in the world, human infection with the Shamonda virus, previously found exclusively in animals, has been confirmed in France. The patient, with a severely weakened immune system, died in early October, but specialists are still investigating what role the infection played in his death.
The Guardian reported this on October 22, citing French health authorities and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The infected man was being treated for a serious illness at the Lyon University Hospital. His immune system was significantly weakened, which increased his susceptibility to infections and the risk of complications.
According to preliminary investigation results, the detected virus was highly likely associated with neurological complications that developed in the patient before death. However, it has not yet been possible to determine definitively whether it was the cause of death.
French specialists suggest that the infection occurred in the east of the country after a bite from an infected biting midge, a small blood-sucking insect of the genus Culicoides. It was in this region in the spring and summer of 2026 that the virus was recorded circulating among farm animals.
A joint statement by the French ministries of health and agriculture emphasizes that this is the first documented case of human infection with the Shamonda virus in the history of observations.
The pathogen belongs to the group of orthobunyaviruses. It was first discovered in Nigeria in the mid-1960s. Subsequently, the virus was periodically detected in cattle in various regions of Africa and Japan.
The Shamonda virus was first recorded in Europe in the summer of 2026. The first clinical signs of animal infection appeared in June, and the pathogen itself was identified at the end of July.
According to the ECDC, by October the virus had been detected in farm animals in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, as well as on the island of Jersey.
Among animals, cattle are considered the main carriers, but infection has also been recorded in sheep, goats and horses. The infection can be accompanied by loss of appetite, diarrhoea, reduced milk production and developmental disorders in offspring.
Despite the first human case, French authorities have not yet found any signs of a threat to the general population. There is also no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus.
Professor Tom Solomon of the University of Liverpool noted that the pathogen has circulated among animals for decades, but until now no human cases had been recorded. In his assessment, this indicates the extreme rarity of such infections.
At the same time, scientists do not yet know whether people with a healthy immune system can carry the infection asymptomatically, what signs of the disease are typical for it, and how often the virus can cause severe complications.
Ben Brennan, a specialist at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, stressed that the identified case requires further study but does not yet indicate the emergence of a large-scale threat to public health.
French authorities have already notified the World Health Organization and the ECDC. The European Centre is cooperating with national agencies and laboratories to expand diagnostic capabilities and detect possible additional cases.
