Emergence, transmission and evolution of Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease

新发传染病(EID)因其对人类、野生动物和农业健康的影响，被认为是21世纪环境科学面临的重大挑战。传染病现在被列为物种灭绝的第六大原因，开斋节导致了标志性的塔斯马尼亚魔鬼的灭绝。在整个塔斯马尼亚州，魔鬼种群正被一种名为塔斯马尼亚魔鬼面部肿瘤病的传染性癌症所摧毁。虽然只有几种传染性癌症被记录在案，但这种癌症与人类癌症有共同的特点。这项研究将调查传播如何与接触中的异质性以及宿主和/或人群中的肿瘤的基因组变异有关。基因研究可能会揭示魔鬼面部肿瘤长寿的潜在原因，或许会提供人类癌症复发的信息。此外，对魔鬼的广泛背景研究，包括灭绝前和灭绝后的数千个样本，为研究整个物种中传染病病原体及其宿主的基因组相互作用提供了难得的机会？射程。这些基因组研究将阐明魔鬼对肿瘤相对易感性的遗传基础，从而使管理者能够为圈养繁殖计划选择最好的个体。此外，对过去肿瘤扩散速度和方向的了解使其能够预测未来感染的准确位置。反过来，魔鬼接触网络建模和对预计将受到感染的人群的基因组研究将有助于测试有关新人群流行过程的预测。这一知识可能有助于制定应对未来人类流行病的措施。

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are considered a grand challenge in the environmental sciences for the 21st century because of their effects on human, wildlife and agricultural health. Infectious diseases are now listed as the sixth leading cause of species extinctions, and an EID has caused the endangerment of the iconic Tasmanian devil. Across Tasmania, devil populations are being decimated by an infectious cancer called Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease. Although only a few infectious cancers are documented, this cancer shares properties with human cancers. This study will investigate how transmission is related to heterogeneity in contacts and genomic variation in host and/and or tumor within populations. Genetic studies may reveal underlying causes of devil facial tumor longevity, perhaps providing information on cancer recurrence in humans. Further, extensive background research on devils, including thousands of samples before and after die-offs, affords the rare opportunity to study genomic interactions of an infectious agent and its host across an entire species? range. These genomic studies will shed light on the genetic basis of relative susceptibility of devils to the tumor, thereby allowing managers to choose the best individuals for captive breeding programs. In addition, knowledge of rates and direction of past tumor spread enables the unique ability to predict the precise location of future infections. In turn, devil contact network modeling and genomic studies of populations expected to become infected will facilitate the testing of predictions regarding the course of epidemics in new populations. This knowledge may help in developing responses to future human epidemics.