French health authorities confirmed on Thursday that they detected the Shamonda virus in a human for the first time, after a severely immunocompromised patient who died earlier this month tested positive for the livestock disease.
The health and agriculture ministries issued a joint statement saying there is “no health risk to the general public identified at this time”.
The human infection appears to be “an exceptional case involving a severely immunocompromised patient” who was hospitalised for a serious medical condition, the ministries said.
What is Shamonda virus?
Shamonda virus belongs to the Orthobunyavirus group and typically affects livestock rather than humans. Scientists first discovered the virus in Nigeria in the mid-1960s, and it has since appeared in cattle across several parts of Africa and Japan.
Small biting insects called midges transmit the virus to animals. Despite circulating in Africa and Asia for several decades, the virus had never previously infected humans until this case.
Europe detected the virus for the first time at the end of July this year, including on cattle farms in France. The virus has now spread to 14 western European countries, according to France’s national research institute monitoring animal health.
Symptoms and transmission
In cattle, Shamonda virus causes acute diarrhoea, fever, lethargy and a drop in milk production. Cattle serve as the main animal hosts, although France also identified sporadic infections in smaller livestock and horses this summer.
The French patient contracted the virus through a midge bite in eastern France, where the virus circulated in animals during spring and summer, investigators believe.
“The neurological complications observed in the immunocompromised patient prior to his death are very likely linked to infection with the Shamonda virus,” the ministries said, citing preliminary findings.
Treatment and ongoing investigations
The press release does not mention any specific treatment for Shamonda virus in humans or animals. Health authorities say clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations continue.
French authorities have notified both the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control about the case.
The ministries stressed that the single human case involved exceptional circumstances due to the patient’s severely weakened immune system.
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