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Transmissible melanoma in Lake Memphremagog catfish

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-07-28 20:05 UTC → 2026-07-29 04:04 UTC · added removed

Researchers have confirmed a fourth known transmissible cancer, the first in a freshwater species, affecting brown bullhead catfish in Lake Memphremagog (Vermont–Quebec). Dark, tar‑like skin lesions were Anglers first noted by anglers dark, tar‑like lesions in 2012. Surveys 2012; surveys from 2014 to 2017 found 23–37 % roughly one‑third of sampled fish carried the melanoma, confirming that roughly one‑third of the population is affected. melanoma. Whole‑genome sequencing showed tumor cells from different individuals share a common lineage, indicating direct cell‑to‑cell transmission rather than independent tumor development. transmission. The study, led by Julie Dragon of the University of Vermont and co‑authored by Peter Emerson of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, was published in *Nature* on 22 July 2026. A 2026, with a follow‑up report on 25 July 2026 reiterated these findings, emphasizing the disease’s status as reaffirming the first transmissible cancer identified in a freshwater fish findings and confirming noting no evidence of human infection. Consumption of affected fish is discouraged. Ongoing work is probing the cancer’s origin and pathways of spread, and officials warn that its prevalence in this key indicator species could signal broader environmental and water‑quality concerns. The discovery expands the list of transmissible cancers to four worldwide and provides offers a novel model for studying metastatic mechanisms relevant to human oncology, highlighting how a single cancer clone can spread through a wild vertebrate population in a freshwater ecosystem. oncology.

Versions

  1. 2026-07-29 04:04 UTC Transmissible melanoma in Lake Memphremagog catfish
  2. 2026-07-28 20:05 UTC Transmissible melanoma in Lake Memphremagog catfish
  3. 2026-07-28 19:52 UTC Transmissible melanoma in Lake Memphremagog catfish
  4. 2026-07-28 19:50 UTC Transmissible melanoma in Lake Memphremagog catfish
  5. 2026-07-27 18:56 UTC Transmissible melanoma in Lake Memphremagog catfish
  6. 2026-07-27 07:01 UTC Transmissible melanoma in Lake Memphremagog catfish
  7. 2026-07-27 05:25 UTC Transmissible melanoma in Lake Memphremagog catfish

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