Scientists at Edinburgh University have found a “strong” suggestion the bacteria is able to hamper the body’s fight against bowel cancer.
The team studied colon cells infected with a strain of the bacteria known as enteropathogenic E.coli (EPEC). They found the bacteria significantly reduced the levels of two key proteins needed to repair damage to DNA.
The EPEC bacteria achieved this by attaching to the colon cells and inserting proteins into them which appeared to inactivate the cells’ repair system. It is known that a breakdown of this system puts the colon cells at greater risk of becoming cancerous.
[Source]
Chapter: Cancer :: 8 June 2009
