Journal article
The Tasmanian devil microbiome-implications for conservation and management
Y Cheng, S Fox, D Pemberton, C Hogg, AT Papenfuss, K Belov
Microbiome | Published : 2015
Open access
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Tasmanian devil, the world's largest carnivorous marsupial, is at risk of extinction due to devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a fatal contagious cancer. The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program has established an insurance population, which currently holds over 600 devils in captive facilities across Australia. Microbes are known to play a crucial role in the health and well-being of humans and other animals, and increasing evidence suggests that changes in the microbiota can influence various aspects of host physiology and development. To improve our understanding of devils and facilitate management and conservation of the species, we characterised the microbiome of wild devil..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Program
Funding Acknowledgements
This work was funded by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grant to KB and ATP. KB is funded by an ARC Future Fellowship. ATP is funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Program Grant [1054618] and benefitted from support by the Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Support and Australian Government NHMRC Independent Research Institute Infrastructure Support Scheme. We thank the Zoo and Aquarium Association and the 38 zoos that are part of the Save the Tasmanian Devil insurance population for access to samples. Particular thanks to Tim Faulkner and colleagues at Devil Ark for supporting our research. We also acknowledge the efforts of the Save the Tasmanian Devil field teams funded by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.