The patient, whose identity has not been disclosed, was immunocompromised and receiving treatment for a serious illness, making him more vulnerable to infections, according to a joint statement from France's health and agriculture ministries.
Previously detected only in animals, mainly livestock, the Shamonda virus is thought to be transmitted through the bites of midges, small flying insects. Its identification in a human patient has prompted further investigation into the possible routes of transmission.
The virus was first isolated from cattle in Nigeria in 1965 and has since been identified in parts of Africa, Asia and Europe, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Most recent reports have involved cattle, although infections have also been recorded in sheep, goats, horses and alpacas.
Reported symptoms in animals include fever, diarrhoea, reduced milk production and reproductive disorders, including miscarriages and foetal malformations. Neurological symptoms have also been reported, although less frequently, WOAH said.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) said further studies were needed to understand how the virus is transmitted to humans.
According to the WHO, the patient had been in an area where the virus was circulating among animals and where Culicoides midges, which can transmit certain animal viruses, were present.
BBC News reported that the patient contracted the virus in eastern France, where infections in animals were first identified in the spring.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed condolences to the patient's family and loved ones. He said the WHO was in contact with French authorities, who were gathering information to establish how the patient became infected, identify possible routes of transmission and assess any potential risk to public health.
There are currently no commercially available vaccines against the Shamonda virus, according to WOAH.
The investigation is expected to help authorities better understand the circumstances surrounding the first known human case, including how the infection occurred and whether it poses any potential public health risk. French authorities have so far reported no identified risk to the general public, while further studies are needed to clarify the virus's transmission to humans.
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