Connect with us

Health

Marine research sheds light on sea lion cancer

Marine research sheds light on sea lion cancer

 


Researchers say they have solved a 30-year mystery as to why many California sea lions brought to the Marine Mammals Center in Marine Headlands are dying of aggressive cancer.

Investigation result Recently published Animals in scientific journals have concluded that the sexually transmitted herpesvirus causes a high rate of cancer among female sea lions. Approximately one of the four dead sea lions examined by the Marine Mammal Center was found to have died of a cancer known as sea lion genitourinary cancer that actively spreads throughout the affected sea lions.

Dr. Alyssa Deming, director of clinical medicine and lead author of the study at the Laguna Beach-based Pacific Marine Mammal Center, said the findings show how the virus causes cancer development in other species, including humans. He said it would help researchers better understand.

“We found this to be a virus-induced cancer, so we can use them as a model for studying it in all species,” Deming said on Tuesday.

Many cancers are caused by a viral infection combined with other factors, Deming said. The human papillomavirus, known as HPV, is known to cause cervical cancer in women, especially in combination with other factors such as smoking history.

In a study published earlier this year, researchers at two mammal centers found that pollutants such as the pesticides DDT and PCBs contribute to the sea lions that develop the cancer, especially in Southern California. Researchers are now planning to study how viruses and other chemicals work to induce cancer in some sea lions but not in others. ..

Researchers at the Marine Mammals Center first diagnosed cancer in 1979, but did not know the root cause and why it had such a serious impact on California sea lions. Studies show that between 2002 and 2017, 18% to 23% of all sea lions admitted to the Malin Headlands Center Hospital died of cancer.

“Cancer begins in the reproductive tract of sea lions, actively spreads throughout the body of sea lions, and often dies of renal failure,” said Dr. Pádraig Duignan, director of pathology at the Center for Marine Mammals, co-author of the study. Stated.

In many cases, center hospitals only accept stranded sea lions that are already in the final stages of cancer. At that point, these sea lions were like “swimming tumors,” Deming said.

“It’s great to see how much of these animals have been hijacked,” Deming said. “There is no normal lung tissue left in their lungs, and there are many tumors in the liver.”

Also unusual is the high incidence of cancer in young sea lions, about 5-7 years old, who have begun breeding. In other animals, cancer usually develops when an organism ages and its immune system is compromised.

“This is a kind of anomaly, and eliminating young populations that are just beginning to breed has a fairly serious impact on the population level,” Deming said.

Researchers tested the herpesvirus known as OtHV1 in the tissues of 95 cancer-developed sea lions and 163 cancer-free sea lions. All animals affected by cancer had the virus, but only 36% of healthy animals had the virus.

In addition, according to this study, cancerous sea lions had “very high” levels of virus that were very active in genital tumors. In contrast, healthy sea lions did not show detectable levels of viral gene expression, suggesting that the virus was dormant.

Cancer was first recognized in the late 1970s, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that researchers at marine mammal centers such as Francis Garland began collecting more data on these samples. .. Combining nearly 30 years of sea lion tissue samples with advances in DNA sequencing technology, Deming said, he was able to discover a link between herpes and sea lion mortality, especially in the last decade.

According to Deming, the findings suggest that veterinarians at the Marine Mammals Center may not be able to treat infected sea lions, but secrets on how to prevent the aggressive spread of cancer to other animals. Is said to be able to hold.

“This really gives us the opportunity to learn from the bad situation that we can’t do anything to help future animals, and we can even come up with cures for managed care animals like aquariums that develop the disease. Maybe, “she said.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos



Pictures Credit

ExBUlletin

to request, modification Contact us at Here or [email protected]