A virus normally found in livestock and spread by biting insects has now successfully jumped to people.

This week, health officials in France reported the first known human case of the Shamonda virus, which involved a man in his 60s. The person subsequently died after contracting the virus, though his already weakened health probably contributed to the death. While scientists are still trying to understand more about Shamonda and its potential threat to humans, officials say the risk to the general public is likely minimal for the time being.

Shamonda virus is part of the genus Orthobunyavirus, and it’s known to infect livestock animals like cattle, sheep, and goats. The virus is typically transmitted through the bites of Culicoides midges, tiny two-winged flies that superficially resemble mosquitoes. It’s closely related to the Schmallenberg virus, which also mostly infects livestock animals.

The virus was first discovered in the country of Nigeria in 1965. Since then, it’s been detected in parts of Africa and Japan. Earlier this June, however, it made its first known appearance in Europe, among cattle in southern Germany and Switzerland; it’s since been found in other European countries, France included.

This latest human case was found in a resident of Lyon, who died in early October. Officials suspect the man contracted the virus from midges in eastern France, where the virus was known to have been circulating recently. The man had already been hospitalized for a different medical condition and was severely immunocompromised prior to the infection being detected.

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