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Science of Devil Facial Tumour Disease

Home About Tasmanian Devils Devil Disease Science of DFTD Save the Tasmanian Devil Program FAQs Volunteering

The Story So Far
Research and Management
Collaborations
Latest Findings
Is DFTD related to Platypus Mucormycosis?
Save the Tasmanian Devil newsletters

The Story So Far

Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) appears to be a new disease that is restricted to Tasmanian devils. No affected animals were detected among the 2000-plus devils trapped by six biologists between 1964 and 1995.

The first cases discovered were found in north-east Tasmania in 1996. As at December 2008, DFTD had been confirmed at 64 separate sites covering more than 60% of the State.

DFTD is a contagious cancer that is spread between individuals, most probably through biting. Due to a lack of genetic diversity among Tasmanian devils their bodies don’t recognise the cells as foreign so the cells aren’t rejected by the animal’s immune system.

Animals usually die within a few months of the cancer becoming visible. Tasmanian devils appear to succumb between two and three years of age, although some juveniles as young as one have also become infected. This is resulting in very young age-structured populations in which females have only one breeding event, whereas they would normally have three.

Populations in which DFTD has been observed for several years have declined by up to 95% (approximate, due to low sample size in recent years), with no evidence to date of either of the decline stopping or the prevalence of the disease decreasing.

Research and Management

The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program has been established to investigate the disease and identify management options.

Coordinated by the Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW), it involves researchers and experts from a range of institutions, including University of Tasmania, University of Queensland, University of Sydney, Murdoch University, and wildlife parks and zoos (both local and interstate).

The program focuses on the key areas of:

population monitoring in the field
wild management
captive breeding programs, and
disease diagnostics (a laboratory-based investigation of the disease itself, including its definition, transmission, and causes).

Collaborations

Partnerships between the Department of Primary Industries and Water and research institutions across Australia have played an important role in furthering our knowledge of DFTD. They also provide access to a wide range of resources and facilities.

Current collaborations include:

Current research	Organisation	Subject	Topic
Greg Woods	Menzies Research Institute		Immunology and vaccine development
Alex Kreiss	Menzies Research Institute		Immune response of devils
Kathy Belov	Uni. Sydney	Vet. Sci.	MHC and the devil tumour
Steve Marvanek	CSIRO, Adelaide	GIS	Spatial modelling of devil density & DFTD
Dan Tompkins	Landcare Res., Dunedin, NZ	Epidemiology	Modelling DFTD dynamics
Alex Hyatt	CSIRO, Geelong	AAHL	Search for involvement of virus
Linfa Wang	CSIRO, Geelong	AAHL	DNA, preclinical diagnostic test
Shane Raidal	Murdoch Univ.	Vet. Sci.	Histology of the tumour
Mandy O’Hara	Murdoch Univ.	Vet. Sci.	Histology of the tumour
Rodrigo Hamede	Uni. Tasmania	Zoology	Interactions between devils (Ph. D.)
Shelly Lachish	Uni. Queensland	Zoology	Changes in diseased populations (Ph. D.)
Hannah Bender	ANU, Canberra	Biol. Sci.	Evolution of devil tumour chromosomes (Ph.D.)
Jenny Graves, Anne-Maree Pearse, Hannah Bender	ANU, DPIW		Chromosome painting DFTD
Greg Woods, Kathy Belov, Alex Kreiss	Menzies Research Institute, DPIW, Uni. Sydney		Immune response to tumour
Jeremy Austin, Kathy Belov, Menna Jones, Liz Murchison, Anne-Maree Pearse	Uni. Adelaide, ANU, Uni. Sydney, Uni. Tasmania, DPIW, Zoos SA		Molecular evolution in devils
Liz Murchison, Tony Papenfuss, Jenny Graves, Arthur Hsu, Kathy Belov	ANU, WEHI, Roche, CSHL, Sanger		Tumour transcriptome
Kathy Belov	Uni. Sydney		MHC marker development
Kathy Belov, Chris Amemiya, Jenny Graves	Uni. Sydney, ANU, DPIW, Beniroya (Seattle)		Devil BAC library
Vanessa Hayes, Stephan Schuester, Webb Miller	CCIA, Uni. NSW, PSU, Roche		Sequencing project
Anne-Maree Pearse, Kate Swift, Jenny Graves, Hannah Bender, Carol Greider	DPIW, ANU, Johns Hopkins, CSHL		Telomeres
Greg Woods, Cesar Tovar	Menzies Research Institute		Identification of tumour antigens
Greg Woods, Gabriella Brown	Menzies Research Institute		Cytotoxic T cell responses
Kathy Belov	Uni. Sydney		MHC typing
Barry Brook, Chris Johnson, Jeremy Austin	Uni. Adelaide, James Cook Uni., Aust. Museums		Devil and Thylacine genetics
Menna Jones, Shelly Lachish	Uni. Tasmania, Uni. Queensland		Devil landscape genetics
Hannah Siddle	Uni. Sydney		Antibodies for MHC
Jenny Graves, Janine Deakin	ANU, DPIW		Physical maps of normal devil and tumour strains
Tony Papenfuss, Kathy Belov	Uni. Sydney, WEHI		Spleen transcriptome
Chrstl Donnelly	Imperial College London		Modelling
Andrew Storfer	Oregon State		Landscape genetics
Nick Beeton	Uni. Tasmania		Modelling DFTD dynamics and management (Ph.D.)
Tracey Hollings	Uni. Tasmania		Ecosystem impacts of devil decline (Ph.D.)
Anne Nielsen	Uni. Tasmania		Effects of devil decline on prey behaviour (Hons)
Associated research
Heather Hesterman	Uni. Tasmania	Zoology	Reproductive biology of devils (Ph. D.)
Menna Jones	Uni. Tasmania	Zoology	Genetics, ecology and biology of devils
Planned research
Michael Breadmore	Uni. Tasmania	ACROSS	Proteomics: search for diagnostic test
Emily Holder	Uni. Tasmania	ACROSS	Proteomics: search for diagnostic test
Robert Shelley	Uni. Tasmania	ACROSS	Proteomics: search for diagnostic test
Previous research (Hons.)
Heidi Kolkert	Uni. Tasmania	Zoology	Reproduction of devil
Willow Farmer	Uni. Tasmania	Zoology	Genetic differences among devils
Sarah Bouma	Uni. Tasmania	Zoology	Reproduction of devil
Candice Clark	Uni. Tasmania	Medicine	Immunology and vaccine development
Other research
Prof Konrad Muller	Uni. Tasmania	Medicine	Histology of lymphatic system and origin of tumour cells
David Obendorf	Private	-	Systemic pathology of devil lymphatics

Latest Findings

For the latest research findings and a full list of recent and significant scientific papers visit: www.tassiedevil.com.au

and the Tasmanian Devil Information Database

Is DFTD related to the Playpus Mucormycosis?

Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) and the Platypus Mucormycosis disease in Tasmania related or caused by the same thing?

No. While affected devils and platypuses can suffer from similar external symptoms, such as ugly ulcers or lesions, the diseases are caused by completely different mechanisms and occur on different parts of the body. Diseased Tasmanian devils suffer mainly from facial tumours, while the lesions on diseased platypuses are generally around the tail, back or back legs.

DFTD is an infectious cancer where malignant growths or tumors are caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division. It is contagious and thought to be spread by infected devils biting other devils. There is currently no evidence that the disease has spread to other species of wildlife or domestic animals.

Mucormycosis (the disease affecting Tasmanian platypus populations) is caused by the fungus Mucor amphibiorum. Currently little is known about how the fungus is transferred between platypuses or how it is spread. DFTD has had a devastating effect on Tasmanian devil populations throughout the State in the 13 years since it was first detected. However in the 25 years since Mucormycosis disease was first detected in Tasmania we still don’t know what impact it is having on platypus populations, or how far it has spread.
These questions are being addressed in another research program within DPIW. Read more about Mucormycosis and the platypus conservation program: Mucormycosis - Platypus Fungal Disease

Save the Tasmanian Devil newsletters

The Save The Tasmanian Devil Program issues quarterly newsletters

.

Our newsletters keep you informed about the progress being made in response to Devil Facial Tumour Disease.

See also on this website:
Remote Sensor Camera Trial
Tasmanian Devil Information Database

Further Information

Contact: Save the Tasmanian Devil Program

134 Macquarie Street
PO Box 44
HOBART TAS 7001
Phone: 03 6233 2006
Fax: 03 6233 3477
Email: DevilDisease.Enquiries@dpiw.tas.gov.au

Save the Tasmanian Devil website: www.tassiedevil.com.au

DPIW switchboard: 1300 368 550 (local call within Australia)

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This page - http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/JCOK-65X2Y6?open - was last published on 18 June 2009 by the Department of Primary Industries and Water. Questions concerning its content can be sent to DevilDisease Enquiries by using the feedback form, by mail to GPO Box 44, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001, or by telephone to 03 6233 2006.

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