Devil Facial Tumor Disease, or DFTD, is the name of a fatal disease that affects a large number of Tasmanian devils in their natural habitat. The disease first shows up as small bumps or sores around the mouth. Over time, they grow into large tumours, mostly on the face and neck, but sometimes in other places as well.
DFTD was first reported in the mid-1990s, and it has now been confirmed in most areas of Tasmania, except for the north-west and west coast devil populations. It has a big effect in places with lots of people, especially adults. Most devils don't show signs of the disease until they are at least two years old. The cancers make it hard for the devil to eat, which makes the animal weaker and makes it harder for it to compete with other animals for food. There is evidence that animals die from starvation and the breakdown of body functions three to five months after the lesions show up for the first time.
Malignant skin tumours come in three well-known forms. In all of them, the sun's ultraviolet rays play a major role in the cause. The most common type is called basal cell carcinoma or basaloma. It does not spread to other parts of the body and is the least dangerous of the three. Sometimes it grows very quickly and has a high chance of coming back. When this happens, it destroys the underlying tissue, bone, cartilage, etc., causing obvious cosmetic and functional problems.
A disease that causes facial tumours is still killing off Tasmania's wild devils. It is thought that the disease has killed off almost half of the devil population. Three new cases of the disease have been found in the southern part of the state, confirming what people were afraid of.
Malignant melanoma is the type of tumour whose rate of growth is the highest right now. It spreads through lymphatic and blood vessels, and the long-term outlook is not good, especially if the tumour isn't found until it's deep in the skin. The melanin in the melanocytes gives it most of its colour. This isn't always the case, though, because there are melanomas that aren't blue or brown. These are called "amelanotic" melanomas.
The disease has now spread to 65% of the state, and 3 more cases have been found in the southern part of Tasmania. The disease is all over the east of the state, all the way to the Cradle Valley in the west, and all the way down to the south of the state. We haven't seen the disease on the west coast or in the far north-west yet, so it's mostly affecting the east of the state.
