Bacterial Subspecies Linked With Aggressive Colorectal Cancer Tumors

Previous research has tied the presence of Fusobacterium nucleatum, a bacterium normally found in the mouth, with colorectal cancer tumors. High amounts of F nucleatum in the tumor are linked with worse prognosis. A recent study clarified that risk, showing that what was thought to be a single bacterial subspecies, F nucleatum animalis, is actually 2 clades: C1 and C2. Based on an analysis of human tissue and animal models, F nucleatum animalis C1 is found mostly in the mouth while C2 is the bacterium driving tumor growth, the researchers reported in Nature.
Source: JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research