An Obscure Livestock Virus Has Been Found in a Human for the First Time—and He Didn’t Survive

A virus normally found in livestock and spread by biting insects has now successfully jumped to people.

This week, health officials in France reported the first known human case of the Shamonda virus, which involved a man in his 60s. The person subsequently died after contracting the virus, though his already weakened health probably contributed to the death. While scientists are still trying to understand more about Shamonda and its potential threat to humans, officials say the risk to the general public is likely minimal for the time being.

A spreading virus

Shamonda virus is part of the genus Orthobunyavirus, and it’s known to infect livestock animals like cattle, sheep, and goats. The virus is typically transmitted through the bites of Culicoides midges, tiny two-winged flies that superficially resemble mosquitoes. It’s closely related to the Schmallenberg virus, which also mostly infects livestock animals.

The virus was first discovered in the country of Nigeria in 1965. Since then, it’s been detected in parts of Africa and Japan. Earlier this June, however, it made its first known appearance in Europe, among cattle in southern Germany and Switzerland; it’s since been found in other European countries, France included.

This latest human case was found in a resident of Lyon, who died in early October. Officials suspect the man contracted the virus from midges in eastern France, where the virus was known to have been circulating recently. The man had already been hospitalized for a different medical condition and was severely immunocompromised prior to the infection being detected. According to the World Health Organization, he then experienced “additional, brain-related symptoms that were considered to be linked to the Shamonda virus.”

An unknown but likely low threat to people

The World Organization for Animal Health notes that the “long-term impact and significance of the disease in Europe cannot currently be determined.” Much like invasive animals, pathogens that spread to new areas can sometimes become a much larger problem than they were in their endemic environments. There are at least two distinct variants of the virus that have been circulating in Europe, according to the WOAH.

At the same time, there is no evidence that Shamonda can spread directly between animals, including humans. And for now, the risk of a more serious spillover event to people seems to be low.

“Based on current information and knowledge of the transmission of closely related viruses, this is an isolated human case, and it ​is unlikely to lead to wider spread at this time,” said the WHO Thursday.

Still, Shamonda is only the latest zoonotic germ that has shown the ability to cross the species barrier. Often, such germs will never cause much trouble; other times, they can adapt to become an endemic and widespread human pathogen, such as with mpox (formerly monkeypox) or Zika.