Hiding in Plain View-An Ancient Dog in the Modern World

摘要

A long-ago ancestor of the modern domestic dog is alive today in the form of the canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT). This tumor was first identified in the late 1800s when it was found to be transferred to new hosts through tumor cells. We now know that the tumor is naturally transmitted between dogs by direct contact, primarily through coitus or activities that permit sloughing of cells. The tumors are rarely metastatic and most tumors regress within a few months, leaving previously infected dogs with immunity.