Role of Bacterial Infection in Cancer

A special issue of Diseases (ISSN 2079-9721). This special issue belongs to the section "Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2019) | Viewed by 16074

Special Issue Editors

Department of Surgery, Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
Interests: bacterial infection; colonic crypt hyperplasia; cancer stem cells; mechanisms of chemoprevention by dietary factors and its novel derivatives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Family Medicine MS 3064, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, USA
Interests: public health; primary care; prevention; health promotion; cancer control; colorectal cancer screening and prevention; the microbiome; Community based research; health disparities research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microbes are causally implicated in slightly over 20% of all human cancers. Viruses, bacteria and parasites are among the most important pathogens associated with carcinogenesis. The idea that bacterial infection can cause cancer has recently been accepted following the discovery of H. pylori’s role in gastric carcinogenesis. Chronic inflammation, triggered by bacteria, can promote DNA damage and when combined with signals for cell proliferation and elevated angiogenesis, create an environment conducive for cellular transformation and tumorigenesis. Whether causative or not, bacterial presence in the tumor microenvironment has been repeatedly detected in many cancer types. Yet, there is little data regarding the number and identity of the bacteria that reside in the tumor microenvironment. The global spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens have the potential to increase the mortality of cancer patients. It is plausible that chemotherapy contributes towards the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria within the gut and, in combination with antibiotics, drives pathogen overgrowth thereby disrupting commensal gut microbiology and promoting infection-induced mutagenesis. Opportunities therefore exist for exploiting tumor-specific bacterial growth for cancer treatment and therapies that restore the gut microbiota following chemotherapy or antibiotics could mitigate treatment failure. It is therefore imperative to focus on understanding the mechanistic basis of malignant transformation initiated by pathogens, an area that promises exciting prophylactic, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications.

This Special Issue will provide an open access opportunity to publish research work and review articles related to the role of microbiota in general and bacterial constituents of the microbiome in particular, in cellular transformation and progression of cancer and how microbial products influence the outcome of chemo- and immunotherapies, respectively.

Prof. Dr. Shahid Umar
Prof. Dr. K. Allen Greiner
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • inflammation
  • cancer
  • microbiota
  • cellular transformation
  • immunotherapies

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 3713 KiB  
Article
The Presence of Gut Microbial Genes Encoding Bacterial Genotoxins or Pro-Inflammatory Factors in Stool Samples from Individuals with Colorectal Neoplasia
by Ramón Gómez-Moreno, María González-Pons, Marievelisse Soto-Salgado, Marcia Cruz-Correa and Abel Baerga-Ortiz
Diseases 2019, 7(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases7010016 - 01 Feb 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2887
Abstract
Gut bacterial toxins are thought to contribute to the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study examines the presence of specific gut bacterial toxin genes in stool samples from individuals with colorectal neoplasia (adenomas and/or CRC). The presence of bacterial genes encoding genotoxic [...] Read more.
Gut bacterial toxins are thought to contribute to the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study examines the presence of specific gut bacterial toxin genes in stool samples from individuals with colorectal neoplasia (adenomas and/or CRC). The presence of bacterial genes encoding genotoxic or pro-inflammatory factors (pks, tcpC, gelE, cnf-1, AMmurB, and usp) was established by PCR of stool samples from individuals from mainland US (n = 30; controls = 10, adenoma = 10, CRC = 10) and from Puerto Rico (PR) (n = 33; controls = 13; adenomas = 8; CRC = 12). Logistic regression models and multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the magnitude of association. Distinct bacterial gene profiles were observed in each sample cohort. In individuals with CRC, AMmurB was detected more frequently in samples from the US and gelE in samples from PR. In samples from PR, individuals with ≥2 gut bacterial toxin genes in stool had higher odds of having colorectal neoplasia (OR = 11.0, 95%: CI 1.0–637.1): however, no significant association between bacterial genes and colorectal neoplasia was observed in the US cohort. Further analyses are warranted in a larger cohort to validate these preliminary findings, but these encouraging results highlight the importance of developing bacterial markers as tools for CRC diagnosis or risk stratification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Bacterial Infection in Cancer)
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14 pages, 530 KiB  
Review
Salmonella Infection in Chronic Inflammation and Gastrointestinal Cancer
by Lang Zha, Shari Garrett and Jun Sun
Diseases 2019, 7(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases7010028 - 10 Mar 2019
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 12847
Abstract
Salmonella not only causes acute infections, but can also cause patients to become chronic “asymptomatic” carriers. Salmonella has been verified as a pathogenic factor that contributes to chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis. This review summarizes the acute and chronic Salmonella infection and describes the [...] Read more.
Salmonella not only causes acute infections, but can also cause patients to become chronic “asymptomatic” carriers. Salmonella has been verified as a pathogenic factor that contributes to chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis. This review summarizes the acute and chronic Salmonella infection and describes the current research progress of Salmonella infection contributing to inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. Furthermore, this review explores the underlying biological mechanism of the host signaling pathways manipulated by Salmonella effector molecules. Using experimental animal models, researchers have shown that Salmonella infection is related to host biological processes, such as host cell transformation, stem cell maintenance, and changes of the gut microbiota (dysbiosis). Finally, this review discusses the current challenges and future directions in studying Salmonella infection and its association with human diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Bacterial Infection in Cancer)
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