An outbreak of Shamonda virus was detected in cows in Europe in July and is ongoing. Credit: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty

An individual with cancer in France has become the first person known to contract the Shamonda virus, after an outbreak in livestock in Europe that was first identified in July. The man, aged in his sixties, died on 9 October, 16 days after he started showing neurological symptoms, including vision loss and confusion, according to a case report published in Eurosurveillance this week 1 . Infectious-disease researchers say little is known about the virus or how it affects the body.

The man lived in a rural area in the Rhône–Alpes region, where Shamonda virus has been detected in cattle. He was probably infected after being bitten by midges, the report states.

It is also possible that he contracted the virus by eating contaminated food or through a blood transfusion or transplant, although the report’s authors say these routes are less likely.…