Researchers at the University of Tasmania's Menzies Institute for Medical Research have developed a portable field test that uses oral swabs to detect devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) in wild Tasmanian devils on the spot, while current testing relies on visible tumours and takes days to return results.
Dr Kruawan said the idea was that the test would pick up a small amount of DNA where the tumour would develop. The DNA causes a reaction that makes the test “glow green” for an immediate positive result. “It is capable of detecting the tumour out in the field so you wouldn't need to take samples back into the lab,” he said.
DFTD, a contagious cancer transmitted through biting, causes tumours on the devil's face and body, typically killing the animal within several months of the tumour becoming visible by making it difficult to eat and leading to starvation. In some parts of Tasmania, the disease has reduced devil populations by about 80 per cent.
Dr Kruawan said there were two strains of the disease, with strain one more prevalent. Of the second strain, he said, "It's still quite confined to the [D'Entrecasteaux] Channel region, so that's why it's important to do neural monitoring testing to see whether the second type of tumour is spreading." As part of the trial, researchers conducted 33 tests on 10 Tasmanian devils and three spotted-tailed quolls. Half of the devils, and none of the quolls, returned positive test results. Researchers worked alongside Tasmania's Department of Natural Resources and Environment, which trapped and handled the animals before the swabs were taken.
Dr Kruawan said one of the biggest questions was whether the test could detect the tumour before it became visible, and if so, that could give valuable insight into the immune system. He said they could “reverse engineer that and then we can try to come up with better therapeutics or effects”. The focus now, he said, was on working with the government to develop a management action plan, and on continuing to develop a vaccination trial. “Currently, we don't normally do anything [after we detect the disease], so we release the animals back into the wild because we don't typically do immunotherapies to treat the animal,” he said. “Our team is working on developing an oral bait vaccine. That study is ongoing.”
Alice Carson, a wildlife carer in the state's north-west, said the Tasmanian devil population in the region had practically "disappeared" in the past year, attributing the decline to the disease. "When [DFTD] goes through a population, what is left is between 10 and 20 per cent," she said. She described caring for affected animals as "some of the most horrific stuff you will ever see in your life". "These animals are emaciated to the point where they are just a skeleton with a bit of a covering of hair over them," Ms Carson said. "It is absolutely the most soul-destroying thing to find a devil with facial tumour disease because it is just a horrific, horrific death."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The new test offers early detection of DFTD, which has wiped out up to 80% of devil populations in some areas, potentially giving conservationists a head start on managing the disease
- Early detection could inform development of an oral bait vaccine, raising hope for a field-based treatment that could save devils from a slow, painful death by starvation
- The test is designed for use in remote areas, removing the need to transport samples to a lab and speeding up the response to outbreaks
Background
Devil facial tumour disease is a contagious cancer spread through biting, first observed in the 1990s. It has since devastated Tasmanian devil populations across the state, with some local populations reduced by as much as 80%. Until now, diagnosis depended on visible tumours and laboratory testing, which could take days. The University of Tasmania team's new test detects tumour DNA from an oral swab, providing a result in the field within minutes. Researchers are also developing an oral bait vaccine, though it remains at the trial stage.
Key Perspectives
- Anuk Kruawan (lead researcher): Believes the test may detect the disease before tumours are visible, providing insight into the immune system and aiding the development of better therapeutics. The team is working on an oral bait vaccine.
- Alice Carson (wildlife carer): Says the Tasmanian devil population in the state's north-west has practically disappeared in the past year, and describes the death from DFTD as "horrific".
What to Watch
- Whether the new test can reliably detect DFTD before visible tumours appear, as Dr Kruawan hopes, in larger field trials
- Progress on the oral bait vaccine trial, which could transform how the disease is managed in the wild
- How the Tasmanian government's management action plan incorporates the new testing capability to slow the spread of the second tumor strain
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedA new portable field test detects Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease in the field.Latest Science news: “A newly developed test that can immediately detect the deadly devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) affecting Tasmanian devils”
- SupportedThe oral-swab test gives an immediate result.Latest Science news: “The DNA causes a reaction that makes the test "glow green", indicating an immediate positive result”
- SupportedThe test may detect the disease before tumours become visible.Latest Science news: “Dr Kruawan hopes the new test will detect the disease in its early stages before the tumours become visible.”
- SupportedResearchers developed the portable test to use oral swabs on wild Tasmanian devils.Latest Science news: “Researchers at the University of Tasmania's Menzies Institute for Medical Research developed the portable field test, which uses oral swabs to detect the disease in wild populations.”
- SupportedCurrent testing relies on visible tumours, and results take days to return.Latest Science news: “The current testing method relies on visible tumours, and results take days to return.”
- SupportedKruawan said the test could detect the tumour in the field without sending samples to a lab.Latest Science news: “"It is capable of detecting the tumour out in the field so you wouldn't need to take samples back into the lab," he said.”
- Partly supportedKruawan said the second strain was still confined to the D'Entrecasteaux Channel region and called for monitoring to see if it was spreading.Latest Science news: “"[The second strain is] still quite confined to the [D'Entrecasteaux] Channel region, so that's why it's important to do neural monitoring testing to see whether the second type of tumour is spreading," he said.”
- SupportedIn some parts of Tasmania, DFTD has reduced devil populations by about 80 per cent.Latest Science news: “In some parts of the state, the disease has reduced devil populations by about 80 per cent.”
- SupportedThe trial involved 33 tests on 10 devils and three spotted-tailed quolls; half the devils and none of the quolls tested positive.Latest Science news: “As part of the trial, researchers conducted 33 tests on 10 Tasmanian devils and three spotted-tailed quolls. Half of the devils, and none of the quolls, returned positive test results.”
- SupportedAlice Carson said the devil population in the state's north-west had practically disappeared in the past year, attributing this to the disease.Latest Science news: “Alice Carson, a wildlife carer in the state's north-west, said the Tasmanian devil population in the region had practically "disappeared" in the past year. She puts this down to the deadly disease.”
- SupportedCarson said that when DFTD goes through a population, between 10 and 20 per cent is left.Latest Science news: “"When [DFTD] goes through a population, what is left is between 10 and 20 per cent," Ms Carson said.”
- SupportedCarson described affected devils as emaciated, like a skeleton with a covering of hair.Latest Science news: “"These animals are emaciated to the point where they are just a skeleton with a bit of a covering of hair over them," Ms Carson said.”
