A rare bunyavirus typically found in livestock has been linked to the death of a man in France, marking the first confirmed human case of Shamonda virus. Spread through bites from infected midges, the virus primarily affects cattle, sheep, and goats, causing symptoms like diarrhea, reduced milk production, and reproductive issues in animals. Health authorities are now investigating whether the virus played a role in the fatality. The discovery raises questions about potential zoonotic risks and how the virus may jump between species.
Investigations under way to determine whether virus normally found in livestock contributed to man’s deathA man in France has become the first human known to have contracted Shamonda virus, with investigations under way to explore whether it contributed to his death.Shamonda virus is a type of bunyavirus and is spread by bites from infected midges. According to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, in animals such as cattle, sheep and goats it can cause diarrhoea, lack of appetite and a decline in milk yield, “as well as abortions and congenital abnormalities in newborn calves, lambs and kids”. Continue reading...
