Cancer and infection. Part 1

Cancer may be induced through multiple factors. These include environmental factors, carcinogens, as a factor of ageing, genetic mutations, immune system disorders, poor diet and by some viruses. There is a long history found in the scientific literature implicating bacterial infection as cancer induction. For over 100 years scientists have cultured varying bacteria from tumours and in many cases have cured cancer by treating such infections. This area of science has been ignored and at times actively discouraged from full investigation. Bacteria known to induce cancer are neither routinely screened in patients nor routinely treated.

Presented at the NHAA 6th International Conference on Phytotherapeutics 2007

Our current scientific position on cancer causation is that of induction through multiple factors. These include environmental factors, carcinogens, as a factor of ageing, genetic mutations, immune system disorders, poor diet and by some viruses. There is another history of cancer induction that has been clearly documented in the scientific literature, implicating bacterial infection as cancer induction.

These lesser known areas of cancer research (bacterial induction of cancer) receive minimal mention in most medical textbooks and information spread appears to have been actively discouraged. This suppression of information has occurred in three main ways and continues to occur:

  • Failure to fund such research.
  • Proclamations from people of importance in cancer medicine, trivialising and negating such research results.
  • Omissions from medical teachings of a complete history of research in fields differing from the dominant approaches.

    • Early research on bacteria and cancer

    Pasteur: bacteria as a cause of disease

    Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) dominated the scientific community of the day with his work on bacteria as a cause of disease. When Pasteur postulated that disease arose from germs attacking the body, his findings were debated hotly amongst the medical establishment.

    The notion that large organisms could be endangered by these tiny bodies appeared ludicrous at the time to many medical practitioners.

    He continued with this work and later showed that anthrax was caused by a particular bacillus. Subsequently he developed a vaccine produced from the same organism in a weakened state. His work on the cause and treatment of rabies through vaccination led to the acknowledgement of his work and his eventual honour and fame (Encarta 2002).

    Koch: the rise of bacteriology

    The discoveries of Pasteur laid the foundation for the work of other scientists such as Robert Koch (1843-1910), eventually giving rise to the discipline of bacteriology. Koch isolated Bacillus anthracis and inoculated it into mice to cause anthrax, thus convincing the medical community that these tiny bodies, bacteria, actually could cause disease. Koch later also isolated and identified bacteria as causative agents for tuberculosis and cholera.

    Koch’s Postulates

    Koch is still remembered for his criteria (known as Koch’s Postulates) for judging whether a bacteria could cause a particular disease:

  • The bacteria must be present in every case of the disease.
  • The bacteria must be isolated from the host with the disease and grown in pure culture.
  • The specific disease must be reproduced when a pure culture of the bacteria is inoculated into a healthy susceptible host.
  • The bacteria must be recoverable from the experimentally infected host (Medterms 2006).
    • August 5, 2010 – 12:55 pm | By Dan Frost | Posted in Infections | Comments (0)