Lucrezia Ciotti First human case of Shamonda virus : a severely immunocompromised patient died in a hospital in Lyon. The pathogen, previously associated primarily with infections in cattle, had never been detected in humans. Health authorities have begun an investigation but currently rule out any risk to the general population.
How the Shamonda virus is transmitted and why it has been detected in Europe.
The hypothesis currently being examined by experts is that the man was infected through the bite of an insect of the Culicoides genus, small blood-sucking midges responsible for transmitting the pathogen to animals. The possible exposure would have occurred in eastern France , where the presence of the virus in livestock farms had been reported during the spring and summer of 2026.
Belonging to the orthobunyavirus group and the Simbu serogroup, Shamonda virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has subsequently been detected sporadically in several areas of Africa and in Japan.
Until recently, known infections mainly concerned cattle, considered the main animal hosts, but cases have also been reported in small ruminants and horses.
Last summer, the pathogen was identified for the first time in several Central and Western European countries, including France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Liechtenstein. In September, outbreaks were also detected on dairy farms in the Italian provinces of Trento and Bolzano.
Shamonda virus: First human case in France; patient dies in Lyon
A man has died in Lyon, France, after contracting Shamonda virus , a pathogen previously known to primarily affect cattle and for which no human infections had ever been documented . The death, which occurred in early October at the Hospices Civils in Lyon, represents the first known human case.
According to French authorities, the patient suffered from " severe immunosuppression ," a condition that may have made him particularly vulnerable to infection. Tests also suggest that the brain complications he developed before his death were " most likely attributable to Shamonda virus infection ." Authorities emphasize, however, that this is an exceptional case and that, based on currently available information, no risk to the general population's health has been identified. Investigations are ongoing to clarify how the patient contracted the virus.
Following the discovery of the first human case, French authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which confirmed that it was " in contact with the French authorities and European partners to examine the potential implications for public health ."