Fusobacterium spp. present in the oral and gut flora is carcinogenic and is associated with the risk of pancreatic and colorectal cancers. Fusobacterium spp. is also implicated in a broad spectrum of human pathologies, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Fusobacterium is very rarely found among the usual gut bugs, but it appears to flourish in colon cancer cells.

Researchers discovered that Fusobacterium flourishes in colon cancer cells, and is often also associated with ulcerative colitis, a condition in which inflammation destroys the cells that line the colon and is also a risk factor for colon cancer.  Although researchers have not determined if the organism actually causes these diseases or if it simply flourishes in the environment these diseases create.

It’s unclear whether or how Fusobacteria might be contributing to cancer. They may promote inflammation, which can lead normal cells to start dividing to become malignant. Or, it may simply be that the tumor environment is more hospitable to growth of Fusobacterium, in which case the bugs would be a consequence, not the cause, of the cancer.

References:

– A Surprising Link Between Bacteria and Colon Cancer [L]

– Fusobacterium is associated with colorectal adenomas. [L]

– Fusobacterium spp. and colorectal cancer: cause or consequence? [L]

– Characterization of Fusobacterium varium Fv113-g1 isolated from a patient with ulcerative colitis based on complete genome sequence and transcriptome analysis [L]

– Fusobacterium and Colorectal Cancer [L]