The Tasmanian devil defeats cancer and will be saved …

The emergence of devastating and transmissible facial cancer in Tasmanian demons in recent decades has raised great concerns for the future of their species. These mammals, emblematic of Australia, were already threatened by regional distribution and other environmental factors.

After its discovery in 1996, the infection extended to 95% of Tasmanian Devil’s habitat and reduced the population by 80% in just two decades. However, a recent scientific study, composed of researchers Austin H Patton and Matthew F. Lawrance, among others, determined that the trend is changing and the animal’s outlook may improve.

The authors show evidence that the contagious disease, responsible for the horrific facial tumors that many of these animals suffer from, now has a lower epidemiological scale than a few years ago. Despite previous predictions of an imminent extinction of the species, it is now believed that the disease will not endanger the survival of this animal.

The study

Little is known about the general history and trajectory of the disease plaguing the Tasmanian Devil. Using a philodynamic epidemiological approach, the researchers were able to identify the pattern of the onset and spread of the disease.

More specifically, the objectives of the study were: to characterize the geographic distribution of the tumor; identify whether there are different circulating tumor lines and quantify transmission rates between lines.

They found that the low densities of the animal contribute to a slower disease spread. This is a good first indication of its persistence on Earth. But it also suggests that caution should be exercised when considering alternatives for increasing demon populations.

“We have very strong evidence that the epidemic phase is drawing to a close and that DFTD (Demonic Facial Tumor Disease) is becoming an endemic disease,” said Menna Jones, an expert at the University of Tasmania.

“This means that the demon will be able to live with the disease as part of his normal life without a conviction, ”added Jones, who helped establish the program to investigate this disease.

This finding stems from genetic research at Washington State University, in which more than 11,000 genes tumor samples.

The cancer

The facial tumor is transmitted during common social interactions through bites inflicted by animals on the face during the feeding and mating processes.

The susceptibility of transmission is very high and mortality rates approach 100%.. It appears in the animal’s mouth and increases in size until it causes deformities that prevent it from eating.

“When demons who have never been exposed to the disease interbreed with other wild animals in diseased populations, the evolution we have seen in wild populations is likely to slow down or even reverse,” said one of the researchers.

A few weeks ago, the first reintroduction of captive-bred, disease-free Tasmanian devils occurred in a national park on mainland Australia near Sydney.

These mammals probably disappeared from this region around 3000 years ago due to to the spread of dingo dogs, an invasive species descended from the Asian wolf. However, scientists estimate that for millennia they were present all over Australia and not just on the island of Tasmania as it is today.