The patient was being treated for a serious illness in a Lyon hospital and experienced neurological complications that French authorities believe were very likely linked to the infection.
Investigations are continuing to establish the exact role the virus played in his death this month. The patient had already been seriously ill and possessed a compromised immune system, leaving uncertainty over whether the pathogen caused the fatality.
Shamonda virus is a type of bunyavirus spread through bites from infected midges. The virus has previously been found in farm animals outside Europe and was first detected in livestock on the continent during the summer.
Dr Ben Brennan from the MRC-University of Glasgow's centre for virus research noted that the agent has circulated in animals—particularly cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and alpacas—for many years without prior recognised human infections.
A man in France has become the first human known to have contracted the Shamonda virus, prompting investigations to determine whether the infection contributed to his death.
Experts emphasized that currently no evidence exists of sustained transmission between humans, and one exceptional case does not necessarily indicate the virus poses a significant threat to the wider population.
Brennan indicated that transmission to humans appears extremely unusual, though unknowns remain regarding whether healthy people can become infected asymptomatically, what typical symptoms might manifest, or how frequently severe disease occurs.