Livestock virus claims first human victim in France

The authorities say a severely immunocompromised patient died after contracting the insect-borne Shamonda virus

The world’s first documented human infection with the Shamonda virus has been reported in France, where a hospitalized patient later died, according to the health authorities.

The insect-borne disease, which has circulated among livestock for decades, was previously believed to be incapable of infecting humans.

In a joint statement on Thursday, the French Health and Agriculture Ministries confirmed that the patient, who had a severely weakened immune system, died in early October after being hospitalized in Lyon.

“Until now, the Shamonda virus was considered non-transmissible to humans,” the ministries said, according to AFP. They described the infection as the first confirmed detection of the pathogen in a person.

The patient developed severe neurological complications that the authorities believe were linked to the infection. However, investigators have still not established conclusively whether the virus was responsible for the death.

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Officials suspect that the patient contracted the virus through the bite of an infected midge in eastern France, where the pathogen has recently been detected in cattle. The circumstances of the infection remain under investigation.

Despite the unprecedented case, the French authorities said there is currently no indication of a wider threat to public health. They stressed that the patient was severely immunocompromised and that no other human infections have been identified.

The Shamonda virus belongs to the orthobunyavirus group and was first identified in Nigeria in the 1960s. It is transmitted by tiny biting insects known as Culicoides midges and has been detected in livestock in Africa and Asia.

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The virus has recently emerged among European cattle, triggering concern among the veterinary authorities. In France, infections have been reported across dozens of departments, with affected animals suffering fever, diarrhea, weakness, and falling milk production, according to the French agricultural authorities.

Other viruses that have crossed from animals to humans include HIV, Ebola, and bird flu. The Covid-19 pandemic was caused by a virus widely believed to have originated in bats.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has confirmed the unprecedented human case and is working with the French authorities to assess its implications.

Health officials are continuing epidemiological and laboratory investigations to determine how the patient became infected and whether other cases may have gone undetected.