French authorities reported the first documented human infection with Shamonda virus, a pathogen primarily associated with cattle that was first identified in Europe during the summer of 2026. The virus was detected in a severely immunocompromised patient hospitalized in Lyon for a serious illness, who died in early October. Investigations are ongoing to determine whether the infection caused or contributed to the patient’s death, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported.
The virus has been known since the mid-1960s in Nigeria and had been detected sporadically in cattle across several African regions and Japan. Cattle are considered its main hosts, although infections have also been identified in small ruminants and horses. No human cases had been documented before this episode.
Its emergence in Europe opened a new front in animal health surveillance for the livestock sector. According to the ECDC, the first clinical signs in animals were observed in June, and the virus was identified in late July. Since then, it has been detected on farms in Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy and other European countries.
Transmission between animals occurs through bites from small insects of the genus Culicoides, known as biting midges. French authorities suspect that the patient became infected through this route in eastern France, where the virus had circulated among animals during the spring and summer.
Authorities described the case as exceptional and stated that, based on current knowledge, no health risk to the general population has been identified.
