French health authorities have reported the first known human case of Shamonda virus infection in a severely immunocompromised patient who died earlier this month.The virus, which primarily affects livestock, has circulated in parts of Africa and Asia for decades but had not previously been detected in humans, according to a joint statement from the country's health and agriculture authorities. The patient was hospitalized with a serious underlying medical condition. Preliminary findings suggest that the infection may have been acquired through the bite of a midge in eastern France, where the virus had been circulating among animals during the spring and summer.

Authorities stated that neurological complications observed before the patient's death were likely associated with the infection, although clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological investigations are continuing. Shamonda virus…