A case of melanoma in a native Australian murid, the spinifex hopping-mouse (Notomys alexis)
J. M. Old A B and M. D. Price A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Water and Wildlife Ecology Research Group, School of Science and Health, Building M15, Hawkesbury Campus, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: j.old@uws.edu.au
Australian Mammalogy 38(1) 117-119 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM15010
Submitted: 28 April 2015 Accepted: 27 July 2015 Published: 31 August 2015
Abstract
Generally the reporting of diseases and parasites in Australian native murids is rare despite murids making up ~25% of the native mammal fauna of Australia. This paper reports a malignant melanoma in a captive spinifex hopping-mouse (Notomys alexis) and is the first case of melanoma reported in any native Australian murid. With no exposure to ultraviolet radiation the melanoma is proposed to be the result of genetic predisposition and age. As no other reports have been observed in the colony it is likely to be a very rare event in captivity and unlikely to occur in the wild.
Additional keywords: cancer, disease, rodent, wildlife.
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