BACTERIAL TOXINS AND CANCER

Mockery Again?

When algae-like organisms were killing fish and people in the estuaries of Maryland, a smart family doctor figured out the cause. He was mocked, till the facts could not be hidden. And then the realities of other biotoxins from indoor mold arose, and mockers started with the position these biotoxins used as war agents, were only a bother to the nose and lungs. Hardly.

The new 1980's position is now to mock the fact that some bacteria have toxins and hurt people. It is a bit of a surprise, since we have known for decades that bacteria have these abilities. But still they mock.

From Nature Review Ð Microbiology, Alistair J. Lax, explains that Helicobacter pylori infection does not merely cause ulcers, the dinosaurs finally accepted that fact, but it also leads to gastric cancer. Indeed, he explains that other chronic bacterial infections have been shown to cause cancer.

The bacterial molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

However, many bacteria that cause persistent infections produce toxins that specifically disrupt cellular signaling to perturb the regulation of cell growth or to induce inflammation. Other bacterial toxins directly damage DNA. Such toxins mimic carcinogens and tumor promoters and might represent a paradigm for bacterially induced carcinogenesis.

This is one reason it seems wise in some home evaluations to look for bacteria, which produce endotoxins.

Dr. J