Evidence collection5 November 2026
Published 5 November 2026
Shamonda virus (SHAV) has been detected in cattle at two dairy farms in Great Britain (one located in Powys, Wales and one in Shropshire, England). Shamonda virus detected in livestock in Great Britain for first time – GOV.UK
The purpose of this evidence collection is to provide links to resources from reliable sources to help you recognise and investigate animals that might be affected by Shamonda virus.
Reports and references relating to recent cases in Europe are also included. However, as this is a rapidly evolving situation, it should be noted that some of the papers referenced are currently reports (Eurosurveillance) or in pre-print (bioRxiv} and have not been through peer review.
What is Shamonda virus?
Shamonda virus is an orthobunyavirus of the Simbu serogroup and is closely related to Schmallenberg virus (SBV). SHAV is believed to be transmitted by Culicoides biting midges, the same vector responsible for transmission of SBV and bluetongue virus.
Shamonda virus was first detected in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has since been reported sporadically in cattle in West, East and southern Africa and in Japan. Since summer 2026, SHAV has been detected in in several European countries, with cases reported in cattle, sheep, goats, horses and an alpaca.
- Shamonda virus – WOAH – World Organisation for Animal Health [accessed 5 Nov 2026]
- Shamonda virus World Health Organisation [accessed 5 Nov 2026]
Symptoms and Clinical signs
Acute disease has been reported in adult cattle which develop the following clinical signs
- A sudden rise in body temperature, sometimes above 40C (104F).
- Reduced feed intake and rumination.
- Diarrhoea or scour
- A sudden and sometimes marked drop in milk yield.
Multiple animals may be affected over a 14-21 day period. Pregnant cows are at risk of stillbirths and calf malformations, these may include arthrogryposis, torticollis, scoliosis and brain deformities such as hydranencephaly, porencephaly, and cerebellar hypoplasia.
No acute disease has been observed in sheep or goats to date, although congenital abnormalities have been reported in lambs.
- Shamonda virus (SHAV) disease information note: SHAV in animals – GOV.UK
- Shamonda virus strain – what you need to know – NFUonline
- Listen to APHA’s Dissecting Animal Diseases podcast episode discussing SHAV.
- Read about the emerging SHAV detection in Jersey.
- 4 September 2026: Novel Shamonda-like virus Identified in livestock and horses in Western Europe – GOV.UK
SHAV has been detected in horses including cases identified in Germany and Switzerland. This is of particular significance because these horses have shown neurological signs including seizure-like episodes as well as fever and ataxia.
- Volkwein, M.E., Köster, J., Großmann, E., Hafner, N., Miller, T., Salditt, A., Benz, P., Beer, M.,Breithaupt, A. and Wernike, K., 2026. Detection of Shamonda Virus in Two Horses with Neurological Signs in Germany. Viruses. https://doi.org/10.3390/v18101125
- Benz, P., Hafner, N., Volkwein, M.E., Köster, J., Miller, T. and Blaha, I., 2026. An Emerging Viral Infection in Horses in Central Europe: Suspected Shamonda Virus Seroconversion in Asymptomatic Horses in Baden-Württemberg from June to September 2026. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202610.3145.v1
Investigation and reporting of disease
While Shamonda virus is not a notifiable disease the clinical signs may overlap with a number of other diseases, including bluetongue which is notifiable.
- Bluetongue: how to spot and report it – GOV.UK
- Bluetongue – WOAH – World Organisation for Animal Health
APHA are recommending that if you see cattle, sheep or goats in England and Wales with compatible signs, contact your local surveillance pathology centre to discuss investigation. APHA is providing free-of-charge SBV and SHAV testing from October 2026 to May 2027 on calves, lambs and kids with arthrogryposis or other congenital musculoskeletal abnormalities. Submit a fresh brain sample (brainstem preferred) and request testing for SBV and SHAV on the submission form.
Concerns have been raised that some of the neurological signs described in horses may resemble those seen in notifiable equine diseases, including West Nile fever, potentially complicating the investigation of horses presenting with neurological disease.
- West Nile fever – WOAH – World Organisation for Animal Health
- Find out how to report suspect notifiable animal disease.
- Contact your nearest Veterinary Investigation Centre or surveillance pathology partner
Outbreaks in Europe
There have been a number of reports of affected animals in Europe which may provide further evidence to help our understanding of the disease, in terms of clinical signs, epidemiology and public health impact.
- Newly discovered virus is sickening cattle in Western Europe | Science | AAAS
- Shamonda-like orthobunyavirus identified in eastern France – BEACON
- Emerging Shamonda virus detected in Jersey – GOV.UK
- (2026), Irish cows test positive for Shamonda virus. Veterinary Record, 199: 361-361. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.71312
- Wernike, K., Pfaff, F., Zeiske, S., Höper, D. and Beer, M., 2026. Two incursions, two viruses: emergence of a second novel Shamonda virus clade, Germany, 2026. Eurosurveillance, 31(39), p.2600756. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.39.2600756
- Wernike, K., Pfaff, F., Zeiske, S., Höper, D. and Beer, M., 2026. Two incursions, two viruses: Emergence of a second novel Shamonda virus clade in Central Europe, 2026. bioRxiv, pp.2026-09. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.05.749452
- Kelleci, M., Fusade-Boyer, M., Chrétien, D., Durand, E., Mircovich, M., Sécula, A., Linard, B., Herman, N., Schelcher, F., Croville, G. and Zientara, S., 2026. Detection of a novel Shamonda Orthobunyavirus in dairy cattle, France, June 2026. Eurosurveillance, 31(33), p.2600689. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.33.2600689
- Ceglie, L., Tavella, A., Dellamaria, D., Belfanti, I., Rampazzo, E., Beikircher, F., Berasi, G., Fustini, M., Gasser, C., Pallhuber, J.K. and Poernbacher, J., 2026. Shamonda virus EU1 in Northern Italy, August 2026. bioRxiv, pp.2026-09. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.17.752072
- Dastjerdi, A., Davies, H., Leakey, C., Maalouf, R., Swinson, V. and Evans, N., 2026. Incursion of European Shamonda virus clade II in dairy cattle on Jersey, Channel Islands. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-11079366/v1
- Wernike, K., Zeiske, S., Axt, H., Bürstel, D., Köster, J., Link, E.K., Miller, T., Rotheneder, S., Schneider, K., Suntz, M. and Vick, S., 2026. Shamonda virus infection in sheep and goat: First evidence from Europe. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-11110482/v1
Epidemiology
- Wernike, K., Hoffmann, B., Link, E.K., Rotheneder, S., Eshak, M., Pfaff, F., Höper, D. and Beer, M., 2026. It happened again–emergence of a Shamonda-like orthobunyavirus in Central Europe, 2026. bioRxiv, pp.2026-08. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.08.06.743243
- Wyler, M., Darpel, K., Berset, R., Renzullo, S., Huber, H., Bauer, J., Peter-Egli, J., Bachofen, C. and Kubacki, J., 2026. Identification, Isolation and Genomic Characterization of an Emerging Shamonda Virus Variant Associated with Bovine Disease in Switzerland. Viruses, 18(10), p.1086. PMID: 42944006
- Delooz, L., Gregoire, F., Saegerman, C., Ménard, V., Coupeau, D., Muylkens, B. and Bonil, L. (2026), Shamonda-like virus RNA detected in bovine fetuses in Belgium. Veterinary Record, 199: 380-381. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.71287
- Wyler, M., Darpel, K., Berset, R., Renzullo, S., Huber, H., Bauer, J., Peter-Egli, J., Bachofen, C. and Kubacki, J., 2026. First Identification, Isolation and Genomic Characterization of an Emerging Shamonda Virus Variant Associated with Bovine Disease in Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.3390/v18101086
- Goller, K.V., Hoeper, D., Schirrmeier, H., Mettenleiter, T.C. and Beer, M., 2012. Schmallenberg virus as possible ancestor of Shamonda virus. Emerging infectious diseases, 18(10), p.1644. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1810.120835
Public health
APHA reports that there is no evidence that SHAV poses a food safety risk. UKHSA has undertaken a rapid risk assessment, which considers SHAV to present a very low risk to the general population in the UK at the current time. A full assessment is being undertaken by the Human Animal Infection and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) group.
However, there has been a report of a single human infection in France, in a patient with a severely weakened immune system
- Bonnet, M., Labussière-Wallet, H., Dumez, P., Jauffret, L., Aubert, L., Avondo-Ray, A., Seurret, C., Devic, P., Souci, S., Laperche, S. and Saint Martin, L., 2026. Fatal encephalitis caused by Shamonda virus Europe 1 (SHAV-EU1) in a patient with a severely weakened immune system, France, 2026. Eurosurveillance, 31(42), p.2600883. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.42.2600883
- Severely ill patient in France becomes first ever human infected with Shamonda virus
- Virus Shamonda : une première détection chez l’être humain | Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’Agro-alimentaire et de la Souveraineté alimentaire
- First person infected with rare Shamonda virus: what we know | Nature
- Shamonda virus found in French patient. Veterinary Record, 199: 401-401. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.71324
About evidence collections
Evidence collections bring together collections of published papers on topics of interest and importance to the veterinary professions. Papers are chosen for relevance and accessibility, with the full text of articles either being available through the RCVS Knowledge library, on open access or from other publications to which a significant number of veterinary professionals are likely to have access. This means that there may be relevant evidence that is not included.
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