Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease

The Tasmanian Devil is a small dog-like marsupial that inhabits the Australian forests. The stocky and muscular carnivore gets its name from the island state of Tasmania, where it is commonly found. It is now officially recognized as the world's largest marsupial, after the extinct Thylacine. The Tasmanian Devil is characterized by a jet black fur and its loud screeching cry that is very eerie. The marsupial becomes highly ferocious and offensive if disturbed when feeding, and like the skunk, it emits a terrible odor when stressed. The Devil, as it is also referred to, hunts as well as scavenges carrion. It shows preference for a solitary existence and is known to devour other Devils at times. Today, this magnificent creature faces extinction due to a rapidly spreading epidemic of a certain facial tumour disease.

Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease:

This is not the first time that the Tasmanian Devil is facing extirpation. The marsupial was seen as a major threat to the livestock on the Australian mainland in the 1700s. The European settlers hunted the Devil right until 1941. However, quick government intermediation offered this native creature official protection. But, somehow the population of the Devil has moved on from one malady to another. Research in the 1990s unveiled the presence of a facial tumour disease that is responsible for a major drop in the Devil population. The survival of the species is threatened significantly enough for the officials to pronounce the marsupial 'endangered' in May 2008. The severe impact of the disease has urged the Tasmanian government to design research programs, to help the extant Devil population survive the onslaught.

The Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease or DFTD is a parasitic cancer. This extremely aggressive and non-viral cancer is transmittable. The first case on record surfaced in 1996, and since then the disease has ravaged through the Devil population, resulting in almost a 50% drop in numbers. Some populations affected by the disease are exposed to as much as 100% mortality within the first year of contracting the parasitic cancer. The disease first manifests in the form of lesions around the mouth, which develop into cancerous tumours that spread throughout the body. The lumps and lesions are extremely painful and interfere with feeding, forcing the marsupial to starve to death. Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease is a rare type of cancer, one of the two canine transmissible venereal tumours known.

The neuroendocrine tumour displays cancer cells with chromosomal rearrangements that are identical in nature. Research reveals that toxins in the environment are the prime suspects for the onslaught. The disease is transmitted via feeding on the same prey, biting and aggressive mating. The infectious facial cancer is also spreading rapidly due to low genetic diversity within the Devil's immune genes, especially MHC class I and II. Since the facial lesions also comprise the same genes, the marsupial's immune system is unable to recognize the foreigners and fight them. Research reveals nine strains of the cancer, displaying a consistently evolving pattern. The infectious facial cancer could become more virulent in subsequent years and down subsequent Tasmanian Devil populations. This is feared to only further complicate genuine attempts to develop vaccines. Like the quoll, scientists are now debating whether or not the cancer mutation could spread to other related Devil species.