First human infection with Schmallenberg-type cattle virus found in France; patient has died

France has reported the first known case of a human being infected with the Schamonda virus, which until now has been detected mainly in farm animals. The man died this month, and an investigation is under way to determine whether the infection contributed to his death, The Guardian reports. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the EU agency that monitors infectious diseases, has confirmed that this is the first recognised case of human infection with the virus.

About the virus

The virus belongs to the group of bunyaviruses and is spread by the bites of infected midges, tiny blood-sucking insects. In cattle, sheep and goats it can cause diarrhoea, loss of appetite and reduced milk yield, and it may also be linked to miscarriages and congenital abnormalities in newborn animals.

The virus had previously been found in farm animals outside Europe, but it was first detected in European livestock this summer. Austria's Agency for Health and Food Safety says genetic material from the virus has also been found in Switzerland and Germany, in the brains of horses that died after showing neurological symptoms.

The patient's condition

The man had already been seriously ill and had a weakened immune system, so it is not yet clear whether the virus caused or contributed to his death. French authorities believe his neurological complications were most likely related to the infection.

Expert views

Professor Tom Solomon, director of the Pandemic Institute at the University of Liverpool, stresses that the threat to the wider public currently appears very small. In his view, the fact that the virus has circulated among animals for years while the first human case has only now been recognised suggests transmission to people is extremely rare. It is still unknown whether healthy people can be infected without symptoms, what signs the infection typically causes, and how often it leads to severe illness.

Ben Brennan, a researcher at the University of Glasgow's Centre for Virus Research, says there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission. He says the finding deserves further study and monitoring, but that most people have no reason to change their daily habits.