Cervical Cancer – New research has found that the bacteria in the cervix (the cervical microbiome) may influence HPV infection, which has an impact on the severity of the cancer.
What did they do
Nearly all cervical cancers (99 per cent) are caused by infections with a Human Papillomavirus (HPV). However, the role of the cervical bacterial microbiome in cervical cancer has not been established before. To investigate the link between bacteria and cervical cancer legions the researchers collected cervical samples from 144 Tanzanian women.
What did they find
The study found women who had high grade lesions on the cervix had a richer and more diverse microbial mix than women who had low-grade lesions or healthy cervices. One bacteria in particular, Mycoplasma, seemed to be linked to promoting HPV-related cervical lesions in women.
They study was carried out in Tanzania because cervical cancer disproportionately affects sub-Saharan Africa, where 9% of the world’s female population over 15 years old accounts for 14% of the world’s incidence of cervical cancer and 18% of cervical cancer-related deaths.
What’s next
The study doesn’t make clear what the link is between the bacteria and the HPV so they say the next challenge is to work out how they interact other. The bacteria could promote HPV infection growth, or cause chronic inflammation, which helps to promotes HPV.
This is interesting because it uncovers more about the link between bacteria and our health, we are dependent on these microbes in so many ways, but we don’t even see them or think about them most of the time.
Research link: https://mbio.asm.org/content/10/1/e02785-18
Cervical Cancer – New research has found that the bacteria in the cervix (the cervical microbiome) may influence HPV infection, which has an impact on the severity of the cancer.
What did they do
Nearly all cervical cancers (99 per cent) are caused by infections with a Human Papillomavirus (HPV). However, the role of the cervical bacterial microbiome in cervical cancer has not been established before. To investigate the link between bacteria and cervical cancer legions the researchers collected cervical cytobrush samples from 144 Tanzanian women.
What did they find
The study found women who had high grade lesions on the cervix had a richer and more diverse microbial mix than women who had low-grade lesions or healthy cervices. One bacteria in particular, Mycoplasma, seemed to be linked to promoting HPV-related cervical lesions in women.
They study was carried out in Tanzania because cervical cancer disproportionately affects sub-Saharan Africa, where 9% of the world’s female population over 15 years old accounts for 14% of the world’s incidence of cervical cancer and 18% of cervical cancer-related deaths.
What’s next
The study doesn’t make clear what the link is between the bacteria and the HPV so they say the next challenge is to work out how they interact other. The bacteria could promote HPV infection growth, or cause chronic inflammation, which helps to promotes HPV.
This is interesting because it uncovers more about the link between bacteria and our health, we are dependent on these microbes in so many ways, but we don’t even see them or think about them most of the time.
Research link: https://mbio.asm.org/content/10/1/e02785-18
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