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For the first time, the Shamonda virus, which has been identified in animals for more than 60 years, has claimed a human life. The victim was a 61-year-old man in France suffering from leukemia who, after contracting the virus, developed severe brain inflammation and died. This event highlights the risk of animal viruses spreading to humans, although experts emphasize that no evidence of Shamonda spreading among humans has been obtained thus far.

The Shamonda virus was first identified in cattle in Nigeria in 1965. The virus is transmitted through the bites of tiny insects called biting midges and can infect animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, and horses. Shamonda is usually not fatal to adult animals, but in pregnant animals, it can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, or congenital abnormalities. Infection in livestock has been identified in 14 European countries to date.

According to Scientific American, the patient was a 61-year-old man undergoing treatment for leukemia at a hospital in Lyon, France, having previously undergone a stem cell transplant. After contracting the Shamonda virus, the man developed severe neurological symptoms including blindness, confusion, and encephalitis. His condition gradually worsened and he slipped into a coma. Finally, on October 9, 2026, after life support equipment was disconnected, he passed away.

Genetic tests identified traces of the virus in the patient's cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and saliva samples. Investigations showed that the identified virus belongs to one of two new genetic branches of Shamonda, known as SHAV-EU1. French health authorities suspect the patient was infected by the bite of a biting midge in the eastern part of the country, a region where the virus had previously been identified in animals.

This is the first known case of human infection with the Shamonda virus, and there is currently no vaccine to prevent infection in humans or animals. Despite the death of the first patient, specialists say there is currently no evidence to suggest that the Shamonda virus is on the verge of widespread transmission among humans.

Grégory Destras, a virologist at the Lyon hospital and one of the report's authors, emphasizes that no signs of increased human infection cases have been observed yet. He suspects the virus may have replicated in the patient's body several weeks before neurological symptoms appeared. Shamonda belongs to a group of viruses that also includes the Oropouche virus, the agent behind the disease known as sloth fever. Oropouche is capable of infecting humans, but another close relative of Shamonda, the Schmallenberg virus, has not been identified in humans despite spreading among livestock.

Natasha Tilston-Lunel, a virologist at Indiana University, believes current information indicates that Shamonda's ability to infect humans may be limited. However, she emphasizes the necessity of monitoring livestock, vector insects, and examining human samples. According to Martin Beer, a virologist at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute in Germany, biting midges can spread this group of viruses especially in summer and autumn. When temperatures drop below roughly 12 degrees Celsius, effective virus replication in these insects is disrupted, largely halting the transmission cycle.

Researchers still do not know whether Shamonda has been transmitted to humans before and gone undetected. Examining stored samples from immunocompromised patients and searching for antiviral antibodies in the human population can determine whether mild or asymptomatic infections occurred in the past. Currently, only one known case of human infection with Shamonda has been reported, and there is no evidence of direct virus transmission between humans. However, the identification of the first victim shows that viruses observed only in animals for years may pose a risk to humans under specific conditions. The research was published in the journal Eurosurveillance.