Devil facial tumour disease

From Freepedia

Devil facial tumour disease is a fatal disease of the Tasmanian Devil. First seen in 1999, the disease has ravaged Tasmania's wild devils, and estimates of the impact range from 20% to as much as a 50% decline in the devil population with over 65% of the State affected.^[1]^[2] Affected high-density populations suffer up to 100% mortality in 12–18 months.^[3] The disease has mainly been concentrated in the State’s eastern half, although in early 2005, three cases were confirmed in South Tasmania.

DFTD begins as lesions and lumps around the mouth. The lesions and lumps develop into cancerous tumours that spread from the face to the entire body. The tumours interfere with feeding, and the affected animal may starve to death. Using cultures of the cancerous tissue to study the condition, researchers have identified the cancer as neuroendocrine in nature, and all cancer cells have identical chromosomal rearrangements.^[4] A virus was initially thought to be the cause of DFTD, but no evidence of such a virus could be detected in the cancer cells. The cancer cells themselves are being investigated as the infective agent, with transmission of the disease suspected to occur by biting. The DFTD cells have a similar karotype to cancer cells from canine transmissible venereal tumor, a cancer of dogs that is transmitted between animals by physical contact.^[4]