On the Hunt for Cancer’s Microbial “Party” in the Animal Kingdom

Abstract

Did you know that food, microbes, and cancer are often linked together? These links are well-studied in humans, but not as well-studied in other species. We wanted to find out whether specific foods and/or microbes are linked with cancer across non-human species. So, we searched over a thousand articles reporting links between diet, microbes, and cancer. We found that some microbes, such as Helicobacter, papillomaviruses, and Fusobacteria which are often found in carnivores, can promote tumor development in people as well as in other animals. Other microbes, such as the Lactobacillus found in milk products, can decrease tumor development in people and other animals. There is lots more to learn about these patterns across hundreds of species. Ultimately, these results have great potential to help researchers understand the variation in cancer risk across animals, and to help doctors and vets improve the early detection and treatment of cancer.