A Livestock Virus Has Infected a Human for the First Time. Here’s What Experts Say About Meat and Dairy

Shamonda virus has been around for more than 60 years, but there’s still a lot researchers don’t know about how it affects people.

Key points

French health officials have reported the first known human case of Shamonda virus, an infection primarily found in livestock.
Shamonda virus is believed to spread through bites from infected midges, and there is currently no evidence that people can contract it through meat, milk, cheese, or other dairy products.
Shamonda virus has not been detected in U.S. livestock or humans, and experts say Americans do not need to change their eating or shopping habits.

France has reported the first known human case of Shamonda virus, an infection primarily associated with cattle and other livestock. The patient, who was severely immunocompromised and receiving treatment for a serious illness, later died, according to France’s Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-Food and Food Sovereignty. Officials have not established whether the virus caused the death.

For consumers, the immediate question is whether the infection signals a risk from meat or dairy. French health officials say they have not identified a broader public health threat. “Based on current knowledge about this virus, no health risk to the general population has been identified to date,” they wrote in a press release issued on Thursday.

“Shamonda virus is certainly worth watching, particularly given the recent developments in Europe and the reported human infection in France,” says Darin Detwiler, PhD, a professor at Northeastern University and author of Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions.

Food safety experts say there is currently no evidence of foodborne transmission — and no scientific justification for changing what you buy or eat because of this case. Here’s what researchers know, what remains uncertain, and how the findings relate to your food.

What do we know about the first human case of Shamonda virus?

French authorities announced the case on October 22. The patient was hospitalized in Lyon and died in early October. Officials suspect the infection followed a midge bite in eastern France, but the investigation is ongoing. Authorities said no risk to the general population had been identified based on current knowledge.

The patient experienced “cerebral complications” before his death that were “very likely” linked to his Shamonda virus infection, according to health officials. However, they didn’t say whether the patient died from the virus. With only one reported human case, information about the disease in people remains limited.

What is Shamonda virus, and how is it transmitted?

Shamonda is a virus that primarily affects animals like cattle, sheep, goats, and horses, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is closely related to the Schmallenberg virus, which causes congenital malformations and stillbirths in certain animals.

First isolated from cattle in Nigeria in 1965, it has since been reported in animals elsewhere in Africa as well as in Japan. Researchers documented its emergence in European cattle in 2026. An early-release report in Emerging Infectious Diseases, scheduled for the journal’s December issue, describes illness in dairy herds in southern Germany and Switzerland beginning in June, including reduced milk production, fever, and diarrhea. To date, the virus has been found in dairy cows and horses in western Europe, including in Austria, Belgium, and France, according to the WHO.

The virus is thought to spread through bites from infected midges, says Amesh A. Adalja, MD, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Direct transmission between animals is not known to occur, except during pregnancy, when an infected animal can pass the virus to its fetus, according to the WHO.

“We have more than 60 years of history with this virus, and that history helps put the current headlines into perspective,” says Detwiler.

Can Shamonda virus spread through meat, milk, or cheese?

The reported human case does not establish foodborne transmission. “Despite decades of documented circulation in animals, researchers have not established a history of foodborne human infections,” says Wade Syers, a doctor of social science and an extension specialist for food safety at Michigan State University.

“There is currently no evidence that the virus can be transmitted through meat, milk, cheese, or other dairy products,” he adds. “The virus is typically transmitted through the bites of infected insects.”

Detwiler says more research is warranted. “The recent human infection reported in France certainly raises questions that deserve further investigation,” he says. “However, that case does not establish that the virus can spread through food.”

Should you change how you shop, cook, or eat?

Experts say there’s no need to change how you shop, cook, or eat based on Shamonda virus. “Based on the evidence currently available, there is no scientific justification for Shamonda-specific changes to how consumers purchase, prepare, or consume food,” Detwiler says.

However, Detwiler underscores the importance of following established food safety practices, including choosing pasteurized dairy products, cooking meat to recommended temperatures, preventing cross-contamination, and maintaining proper refrigeration.

“These practices protect against well-established foodborne pathogens,” he says, “but we should not suggest that consumers need to take additional precautions specifically because of Shamonda virus.”

Syers agrees: “People should continue following normal food safety practices.”

How are health officials monitoring Shamonda virus?

Public health officials in France and surrounding countries are investigating whether other people have been infected and continuing to monitor livestock.

“There will be studies of farmers, veterinarians, and others in the area of the case to see if any other individuals have antibody evidence of infection,” Adalja says. “Germany is doing a blood bank study to see if any donations have evidence of infection.”

For American consumers, the experts interviewed say there is no evidence of a Shamonda outbreak affecting U.S. livestock or the domestic dairy supply.

“Please remember: An emerging animal health threat is not automatically an emerging foodborne threat,” Detwiler says. “The recent developments deserve scientific attention, but they do not currently justify changes in consumer behavior.”

* This article was originally published here

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