Cancer-promoting bacteria discovered
Representatives of this bacterial strain are equipped with a special protein, the polyketide synthase (pks). This enzyme in turn promotes the development of mutations and thus of tumors.
In fact, the E. coli bacteria equipped with pks were found particularly frequently among the approximately 1,000 colon cancer sick participants. They were found in large numbers in the tumor tissue itself. However, other strains of E. coli had no effect on the risk of colon cancer.
“This is the first study to show an association between Western diet and specific pathogens bacteria in cancer,” says study leader Shuji Ogino. In a further study, the working group now wants to clarify which components of the western diet most strongly promote the formation of harmful proteins in the intestinal bacteria.