Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease

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Introduction The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilius harrisii) is the largest existing carnivorous marsupial and is currently threatened by a transmittable cancer known as “Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease” (DFTD). The first suspicion of DFTD came in the late 1990’s through a tourist’s photograph while travelling in the bush of Mt. William National Park, Tasmania. In the past 15 years, almost 90% of Australia’s Tasmanian devils have died due to the new arising cancer. The cancer is spreading so rapidly that scientists estimate that within 5 to 15 years, the disease will have spread to the entire species, causing extinction. The aggressive tumour causes death within 6 months because of airway obstruction and incapacity to consume food. DFTD is transmitted from biting during courtship battles and fighting in which “facial tumour cells of one devil are transferred to another as an allograft” (McCallum, 2007). Scientists are still trying to discover a vaccination, but unfortunately they are many years away from completely understanding the disease. History of the disease outbreak In early 1996, a photograph was taken of a Tasmanian devil by Chris Baars, with an unusual facial deformity (Hawkins & McCallum, 2008, p.631). It was described as a tumour, but preliminary investigation was put off due to scientists not having knowledge of DFTD. A year later the first case was confirmed when a devil had been collected and examined in the same area where the photo had been taken in north-east Tasmania, 1997. The disease outbreak was discovered in north east Tasmania, and having information from the most recent investigations (Hawkins & McCallum, 2008), that indicates the disease to have spread to devil population in the north and north east, to the east coast and the midlands, as far west as Bronte park (see fig 1) . There is no evidence to believe the disease has spread

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