A strange transmissible cancer is spreading through the catfish in this lake
Biologists have identified a transmissible skin cancer spreading among brown bullhead catfish in Lake Memphremagog. Researchers believe the cancer cells can survive in the aquatic environment to infect new hosts, offering potential insights into tumor metastasis.
Why it matters
Understanding how transmissible cancers function in wildlife provides critical data for human oncology and environmental health monitoring.
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Every year, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department conducts a fish census in Lake Memphremagog, which straddles northern Vermont and the Canadian province of Quebec. In 2013, the team was startled by some of the brown bullhead catfish they were finding in the lake. The fish were marred by unsettling dark streaks.
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