A contagious cancer affecting mussels is spreading around the world via shipping.
According to researchers from the CNRS and the University of Montpellier, who published their results on February 21 in the journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society B,
this form of leukemia is more common among bivalves living in seaports than in the wild. .
“This suggests that ports constitute epidemiological centers from which cancer (
called MtrBTN2 by scientists, Editor's note)
spreads via maritime routes
,” indicates Nicolas Bierne, researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences in Montpellier, and author of the study.
This discovery highlights the importance of preventive measures implemented on docks and boats to limit the movement of invasive species or pathogens.
Some cancers have acquired the ability to spread from one individual to another
Most cancers develop from cells that mutate and multiply within the same individual.
Very rare cancers, however, have acquired the ability to…
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