Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Cancer isn’t supposed to be contagious, but scientists studying wild catfish in North America may have discovered one of the first known cases where cancer cells are spreading directly from one fish to another.
This video explores the mysterious melanoma affecting brown bullhead catfish in Lake Memphremagog, where tumors have appeared in an unusually large percentage of the population. Genetic testing revealed something disturbing. While the fish themselves were genetically different, their tumors were nearly identical. That suggests the catfish may not be developing cancer independently. Instead, the cancer itself could be surviving outside the body, finding new hosts, and spreading through the population during spawning season. Transmissible cancers already exist in dogs, hamsters, clams, and other animals, but discovering a likely case in wild catfish raises new questions about how these diseases evolve and survive in nature.
There’s no evidence humans are at risk from these fish, but the discovery proves something once thought nearly impossible. Sometimes, cancer can behave like an infection.
00:32 - The Mystery in Lake Memphremagog
01:57 - A Cancer Plague Spreads Through Catfish
03:18 - The Cancer Was Finding New Hosts
04:14 - Can Cancer Actually Be Contagious?
05:21 - Transmissible Cancer in Animals
06:40 - The Cancer That Spreads Through Water
08:02 - The Catfish Melanoma Mystery
09:16 - Proof the Tumors Came From the Same Cancer
10:03 - How the Cancer Survives in the Lake
11:32 - Could Transmissible Cancer Reach Humans?
12:01 - The Rare Cases of Human-to-Human Cancer
12:32 - The Man Infected With Tapeworm Cancer
13:02 - What This Means for Humans
Narrated by: Josh Risser
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📝 SOURCES: pastebin.com/R6VYWV7y
All videos are based on publicly available information unless otherwise noted.
Cancer isn’t supposed to be contagious, but scientists studying wild catfish in North America may have discovered one of the first known cases where cancer cells are spreading directly from one fish to another.
This video explores the mysterious melanoma affecting brown bullhead catfish in Lake Memphremagog, where tumors have appeared in an unusually large percentage of the population. Genetic testing revealed something disturbing. While the fish themselves were genetically different, their tumors were nearly identical. That suggests the catfish may not be developing cancer independently. Instead, the cancer itself could be surviving outside the body, finding new hosts, and spreading through the population during spawning season. Transmissible cancers already exist in dogs, hamsters, clams, and other animals, but discovering a likely case in wild catfish raises new questions about how these diseases evolve and survive in nature.
There’s no evidence humans are at risk from these fish, but the discovery proves something once thought nearly impossible. Sometimes, cancer can behave like an infection.
00:32 - The Mystery in Lake Memphremagog
01:57 - A Cancer Plague Spreads Through Catfish
03:18 - The Cancer Was Finding New Hosts
04:14 - Can Cancer Actually Be Contagious?
05:21 - Transmissible Cancer in Animals
06:40 - The Cancer That Spreads Through Water
08:02 - The Catfish Melanoma Mystery
09:16 - Proof the Tumors Came From the Same Cancer
10:03 - How the Cancer Survives in the Lake
11:32 - Could Transmissible Cancer Reach Humans?
12:01 - The Rare Cases of Human-to-Human Cancer
12:32 - The Man Infected With Tapeworm Cancer
13:02 - What This Means for Humans
Narrated by: Josh Risser
🔔 Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE! 🔔
SUGGEST A TOPIC: bit.ly/suggest-an-infographics-video
💬 Come chat with me: discord.gg/theinfoshow
🔖 MY SOCIAL PAGES
TikTok ► tiktok.com/@theinfographicsshow
Facebook ► facebook.com/TheInfographicsShow
📝 SOURCES: pastebin.com/R6VYWV7y
All videos are based on publicly available information unless otherwise noted.
